During the late hours and dead periods of THON, there are plenty of activities for the 707 dancers to do down on the floor to keep themselves occupied. But what about the students in the stands supporting the dancers? The orgs need to get creative to help pass the time and stay alert.

One way Atlas FTK is helping to pass the time is by creating their very own theme hour. The group has taken their love of ducks to a new level, starting their own hour titled “This Hour In Ducks”.

Why ducks? Two years ago, the Donor-Alumni Relations committee of Atlas created a mascot named Quackers, a little rubber duck that was supposed to help encourage the org members to increase their fundraising. Last year, the group created a Twitter account for Quackers, and this year, their love of the mascot was taken to unprecedented heights.

“This year the DAR chairs wanted to really make Quackers a big deal,” DAR captain and Executive Duck Overall Wilton Smith said. “They were emailing us asking what they should do for our upcoming meetings, and someone suggested, ‘Hey, let’s include something duck related.’ So we came up with the idea of ‘This Week in Ducks.'”

“This Week in Ducks” was a hit among the DAR committee, and quickly spread to the rest of Atlas. “Every single meeting the DAR committee would end their meetings with a 5 minute powerpoint presentation I’d give about ducks,” Smith says. “We’d give an update on the Oregon Ducks and Duck Dynasty, and make up facts for Quackers. It was hilarious, and caught on quickly.”

So what is the next step in the group’s love for ducks? The first annual “This Hour in Ducks.”

Atlas is planning on hosting a marriage for Quackers and his mate during the hour. In addition to that, the group will have someone dress up in a duck suit and have them hide in the BJC, similar to “Where’s Waldo?” Finally, the DAR committee has created a duck dance for people to do the entire time.

Although Atlas wouldn’t tell us the exact time that the hour was set to start (“You’ll know it when you see it,” one Atlas member told us), the plan is to have their enthusiasm spread throughout the whole BJC.

“The BJC will be in a lull when we start it,” Smith said. “Hopefully everyone will look at us and say, ‘What the heck is going on?'”

Well, now you’ll know.