Dinner with MSU President M. Peter McPherson may be an option for students attending the School of Hospitality Business’ Big Ten Auction on Saturday.
The auction, sponsored by the School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association and the Hospitality Association of MSU, is the groups’ annual fund-raising event. Proceeds from the auction go to charity and to fund various clubs within the school. Admission is free.
“This is going to be a fun time,” said Brent Johnston, auction co-chairman and a hospitality business senior. “It’s a great opportunity for people to come out and purchase some great packages.”
Beginning at 5 p.m. in the Big Ten room of the Kellogg Center, people will be able to bid on smaller packages, such as hotel stays, posters autographed by the MSU men’s basketball team, and dinner gift certificates in a silent auction.
“The smaller packages will be auctioned off in rounds,” said Alli Leech, auction marketing director and a hospitality business sophomore. “We’ll have about 13 tables set up where people can go around and bid on the items of their choice.”
Following the silent auction, there will be a live auction at 6 p.m. Some of the larger packages include mountain bikes, hot air balloon rides, basketball tickets and a New York vacation. The auctioneer for the live auction will be Mark Bashore, morning drive personality for radio station WFMK (99.1-FM).
A portion of the proceeds from this year’s auction will go to MSU Safe Place and Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan.
While the groups’ monetary goal is to bring in about half of the $150,000 it solicited in retail value from local businesses, its main objective is to show people what hospitality business students have accomplished.
“We hope to bring a lot of alumni in so that they can see how well the school is doing,” said Mackenzie Mehner, president of the association and a hospitality business junior. “We want to show what our (hospitality business) students have been able to achieve.”
“We not only want the alumni board to be happy, but we want the community of the Lansing area to feel like they’ve contributed to the school,” Johnston said. “The auction is benefiting MSU and the community at large, and this is what we want people to see.”
