Saturday’s home football game kicked off a campus-wide fundraiser for the Minuteman Marching Band, which is trying to raise $10 million for a new band building. Sections of the band walked around the outside of the stadium before the game performing for tailgating students and alumni handing out fliers and asking for donations. The University has already agreed to spend $4.5 million on the new, state-of-the-art rehearsal and storage facility. “We are thrilled the University is making the move; the current conditions are horrible”, said director George Parks. Since 1997, when structural problems at the Old Chapel forced it to close, the band has been essentially homeless. Grinnell Arena, an old livestock arena, was renovated for the bands use. Grinnell, however, is too small for the almost 400 band members to practice in all at once, and lacks the necessary of storage space for uniforms and instruments. Other improvised spaces are scattered across campus, acting as the band’s music library and director’s office, but some of those buildings are slated for destruction. “I see these kids get home at 1 a.m., and it’s raining”, said Parks. “I see these kids with no place to get off the bus and put their stuff in a dry space. I see these kids carrying their stuff all over campus, the percussions lifting and loading with no loading dock. We really need a place to sit and play together.” For these reasons, the band is hoping to get enough funding to facilitate the costs of the new building. The new facility will include a large rehearsal area where all the members of the band can sit and practice together, as well as locker rooms and changing rooms, storage rooms for uniforms and instruments, and a place for the band members to sit and eat lunch or relax on their break during practice. For all of this to become a reality, the band will need between $8 and $10 million. “We are very excited with the initial allocation from the University, but the cost of building has gone up, so we need to raise funds to keep moving forward,” said Parks. Both students and alumni have been making donations, with the current number of pledges equaling $1.5 million. Along with money from the school, the band needs $2 million to $4 million more for the project to be realized. Band members are taking money out with their credit cards to donate to the band, and alumni are getting involved by making one-time donations. They can also donate $20 a month for about five years, which will get their name on the wall of the new rehearsal room. The band is still actively looking for donations, as the Oct. 31st deadline to raise the rest of the money is quickly approaching. Parks and band members alike are worried that if they don’t hit their goal, important parts of the building will have to be cut out. Parks said he thinks the band has brought a certain prestige to the University at large, and an air of class and healthy competition. “[The Minuteman Marching Band is a] positive image for the university, doing positive things”, said Parks. “These kids love the band, and are loyal to UMass. It’s like a family to anyone who has ever been in the band”. Sadie Trombetta can be reached [email protected].