By Andrea Park
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, The OG, news

United for Uganda will host a junior/senior lock-in from 9 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday at Uni High. UFU is a student organization that spreads awareness about and raises money for the “invisible children” of northern Uganda.

For 18 years, as the Ugandan civil war raged, the Acholi tribe was brutalized by one of the armed factions, the Lord's Resistance Army. The LRA abducted children, ranging from the age of 3 to 17, and forced them to become child soldiers or sex slaves. Because of this, the Acholi children had to walk up to 13 miles to special camps for shelter and protection.

On Aug. 26, the LRA and the Ugandan government signed a cessation of hostilities agreement and Vincent Otti, the LRA's leader, went on radio to urge LRA fighters to observe the truce. Although a peace treaty has been signed, UFU believes it is still important that the Ugandan people who have been, and still are, affected by the LRA get the support they need.

Students can buy tickets from lock-in coordinator Amanda Grill for $20, up until Wednesday. She will hand out tickets with the student's name and her signature. She will also keep a list of all students who have paid in case anyone forgets their ticket the night of the event.

Of the ticket price, $7 will pay for the lock-in food costs and the remaining $13 will go to the Uganda Children of War Rehabilitation Project. UFU's monetary goal is $2,000.

The Children of War project supports a rehabilitation center in Gulu, Uganda, for former child soldiers. The center, headed by Michael Oruni, provides kids who have run away from the Lord's Resistance Army with psychological counseling, medical care, and the opportunity to reunite with their families.

The lock-in will include a night of activities for all participants. For organizational purposes, UFU has created this tentative shedule:

— 9 p.m.-midnight: Scavenger hunt, sardines, hide and seek
— Midnight: Snack and movie
— 2:30-4:30 a.m.: Dance
— 5 a.m.: Breakfast
— 6-8 a.m.: Chill out, games, movies, cards, etc.

Organizers suggest that students bring pajamas, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as DVDs and snacks of their choosing. A “quiet” room will also remain open throughout the night for students who want to sleep.

UFU needs to have enough chaperones to supervise the lock-in, so club members reduced the amount of students involved and limited the space to the first floor only as a way to make this task more feasible. Thus, underclassmen will not be participating in this event. UFU has also created shifts for all the chaperones so that no parent needs to stay at Uni all night.

“Subbies, freshmen, and sophomores will have a lock-in if this one goes well,” Grill says. “We want to raise money, not exclude anyone. It's a purely logistic thing.”

UFU decided to host a lock-in because, Grill says, “I thought it would be a great fundraiser that a lot of people would want to come to. My church had just had a lock-in, so that's where the idea came from.”

Uni High's last lock-in was in 2000. Excessive issues due to lack of planning and organization caused the school to avoid further lock-ins — until now.

Director/Principal Kassie Patton says that “during the 2000 lock-in there were behavior issues. I'm not sure what the specifics were, but my rationale is that if this one is good and if students worked to get activities well planned and students know what the expectations are, then they [lock-ins] can be a lot of fun. I have a lot of confidence in Uni students.”

Added Grill: “This lock-in is a precedent setter. If it goes well and students behave, [Uni] can have more. If not, it probably will be the last one for a long time.”