University students are taking significant roles in two local tsunami relief fund-raisers this weekend.

On Friday night, 25 local disc jockeys will convene at Solera, 900 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis, for RELIEF, A Benefit for Tsunami Survivors.

Ahmet Hepdogan, a Carlson School of Management graduate student, said he and three friends organized the event because more donations will be needed to help victims of the Dec. 26 natural disaster.

The suggested minimum

donation is $8 at the door. All proceeds will go to the United Nations World Health Organization’s South Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Fund.

Hepdogan said organizers wanted to keep the event price low to attract more donors.

“A lot of people just say $5 or $10 won’t make a difference, but we say it will as long as we can get a lot of people together who are in the same price range,” Hepdogan said.

All the musicians are donating their time and Solera donated its restaurant lounge and its two-floor event center, Hepdogan said. Brilliant Vodka will also be present to donate all of its money raised through the company’s vodka sales at the event.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older to enter, Hepdogan said.

Another tsunami benefit is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday

at the Coffman Theater. The

Sri Lanka Relief Fund Benefit

is sponsored by Twin Cities-based Diaspora Flow, an arts nonprofit organization, and will feature a disc jockey, two spoken-word artists, two musicians and a dance group.

All proceeds from the $10 event will go to three Sri Lankan relief programs – Initiative Sunrise Lanka, Center for Poverty Analysis and Jeeda Jothy Orphanage, said Vinothini Ambrose,

Diaspora Flow board member.