An NIU student requested university president John Peters attend this April’s Relay for Life event in a letter sent last week.

Lisa Mayes, senior rehabilitation counseling major, said she wrote the letter hoping Peters would set an example for the rest of the university.

“He’s a leader on the campus,” she said. “[His presence] could help bring the university together.”

Jay Highland, senior biology major and Relay for Life chair, said Peters has been to the event in the past, but was absent last spring.

Mayes said Peters’ presence at Relay for life would be truly appreciated.

“If [Peters] had the chance to come, I think he’d be really impressed,” Mayes said.

Attempts by the Northern Star to contact Peters were unsuccessful.

Last year, the NIU Relay for Life raised over $77,000, and the university was recognized by the American Cancer Society for their efforts.

This spring, NIU is participating in its 10th Relay for Life.

Both Highland and Mayes are members of Colleges Against Cancer, and Highland serves as treasurer of the NIU chapter.

Mayes said she believes it would be difficult to find a person on the NIU campus that hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way. This sentiment hit home in July 2010 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“My whole world seemed like it was falling apart,” Mayes said in the letter to President Peters. “I wasn’t quite sure where to turn at first, but I knew that Colleges Against Cancer and the American Cancer Society could truly help my family during this difficult time.”

Mayes said she found solace and support in these organizations.

“We’re all a really big family,” she said.

Mayes went to her first Relay for Life last spring, and Highland has been attending them since high school.

“I loved it ever since [I first got involved],” Highland said. “It’s such a good cause.”

Relay for Life is an annual event designed to promote awareness about cancer and raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The first Relay for Life was held in Tacoma, Wash. in 1985. Today it is held in over 18 countries around the world.

This year’s Relay for Life is being held April 9-10 at North 40 Field behind Barsema Hall.