UD Ends Sponsorship of “Dayton 2 Daytona” But Tradition Will Continue

Sean Newhouse
News Editor

UD administration announced in an email sent to students Tuesday that the University will no longer support the annual “Dayton 2 Daytona” (D2D) post-school year trip; although, this decision does not prevent UD upperclassmen from independently attending the excursion. Here’s what you need to know:

What is Dayton 2 Daytona?

• D2D began in 1977 and is run through a third-party company, Campus Vacations and supplemented by SGA support through promotion events throughout the school year, organized by a selected committee.
• D2D 2018 featured a five-night hotel stay, pig roast, drinks and pool parties with a DJ.
• Attendees are required to be UD students and must be at least 21 years old.
• Here’s a video from the 2017 trip:

Reasons for the Separation 

• Reasons given for UD ending its support of D2D included it not advancing the school’s educational mission, safety risks, potential negative impact on the University’s reputation and a desire to use the resources spent on D2D elsewhere.
• According to the email announcement, this decision was supported by the Board of Trustees, UD alumni association board leadership and the U.S. Society of Mary leadership.
• “In the University’s view, D2D does not advance our Catholic, Marianist educational mission, nor does it enhance the reputation or the value of a University of Dayton degree,” Spina wrote in a letter. “The University resources devoted to the trip will be better used to support the quality of the student learning and living environment on campus.”
• By ending its affiliation with D2D, Spina said UD will “no longer provide logistical or staff support” on the trip, a decision which he reiterated “does not prevent students from independently making their own arrangements for recreational travel with the current tour company or another travel agency.”

D2D Committee Response

• The official D2D Twitter account emphasized the trip is not canceled, writing “…we are determined to make next year’s trip better than the last so stay tuned for more details to come.”
• In another tweet, they assured the UD student body and alumni of their devotion to the case, writing: “Students are definitely allowed to go on this year’s D2D trip. The only change is the affiliation with the school. Will there be able some new problems with this transition? For sure. But will we work tirelessly and make sure this trip is even better? Absolutely.”
• The dayton2daytona instagram bio has been changed since the announcement, now reading “Not Affiliated with the University of Dayton.”

Campus Response

• UD Student Government Association (SGA) President Bryan Borodkin reiterated the sentiment that this sudden change is more simple than it may seem. “It (D2D) is no longer going to be affiliated with the university,” Borodkin said. “That’s it.”
• Borodkin went on to explain, “now that D2D is no longer affiliated with the University as a whole, SGA will not be providing logistical support. We will not see the types of events like Halfway to Daytona on campus anymore.”
• UD administration asked SGA to coordinate with Alumni Relations and Student Development to start a new “meaningful on-campus experience” as an alternative to D2D.
• “In Spina’s email, it was included that the next steps are to work with alumni and SGA to find a new senior sendoff tradition and Erica and I immediately began talking about trying to bring that conversation forward to bring back homecoming,” Bordkin said.

Photos taken from Dayton 2 Daytona’s twitter page. 
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