West Virginia University faculty, staff and students in need of midsemester refueling can get a home-cooked spaghetti dinner and support a scholarship fund at the same time.

The Student Government Association is holding an all-you-can-eat dinner from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at St. John University Parish. The authentic Italian meal will be prepared by the Italian American Organization of WVU . Members of the University and Morgantown communities are welcome to attend.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased either at the door or at the SGA office in the Student Organization wing of the Mountainlair. Student organizations that buy tickets in advance are eligible to receive Greek points for Homecoming. The money raised will benefit the WVU Student Memorial Scholarship Fund.

We have about $6,500 right now, but we need a total of $10,000 to get the scholarship fully endowed,said SGA Governor Jason Gross.We are getting really close to meeting our goal, so hopefully this dinner will put us over the top.

The dinner was started in 2001 by then-Governor Jana Matish after the death of a local student. She wanted to find a way for students who have passed away to always be remembered.

A lot of times when students pass away, family, University and community members want to make donations in their honor,said Ron Justice, assistant dean of students.Before this fund, they didnt have a way to donate sums of money large enough to endow a scholarship. Now they can.

The SGA will establish the criteria to be used in awarding the $500-800 scholarship when the fund becomes fully endowed, he added.

For those who are unable to attend the dinner but who wish to make a donation to the scholarship fund can do so at the SGA office. For more information, call 304-293-4397.

SGA on the Net:http://www.wvu.edu/~sga/