The College held its annual Yellowjacket Weekend celebration this past weekend.
It served to welcome students back to school and provide free food, a concert and many other activities.
“It was a great way to start off the year because it put everyone in such high spirits,” junior Rachel Thibo said. “There was an overwhelming sense of community and it was obvious that everyone had a good time.”
Freshmen and upperclassmen alike had the opportunity to attend a number of events such as the Activities Fair where they could check out extra-curriculars and a free picnic lunch sponsored and organized by the Office of the Dean of The College.
The activities took place on Friday and Saturday. Festivities started at noon on Friday with the Convocation, during which time awards were presented to several professors. Convocation was followed by the Activities Fair, which showcased most of the extra-curricular activities available to students and boasted an attendance of over 3,000 students.
The highlight of the evening was a performance by comedian Hal Sparks in Strong Auditorium that drew a crowd of over 700 people. “Hal Sparks was a knee-slapping good time,” sophomore John Fishback said. “I saw him on ‘I Love The ’80s and ‘I Love The ’90s. If he came back I’d definitely see him. It was worth the money.”
Students enjoyed a tailgate party on the lawn behind Goergen Athletic Center featuring a performance by The Clarks and $1 refreshments along with free carnival rides and games, on Saturday.
“People really appreciated the cheap food. [The tailgate party] was one of our more successful events” Director of Wilson Commons Student Activities Anne-Marie Algier said.
Later in the day, students geared up for the Courage Bowl, to support Camp Good Days, where UR football took on St. John Fisher. Buses left from ITS Center, but a limited supply caused free tickets to run out very quickly.
The weekend wound down Saturday night with a screening of the movie “Crash” in Hoyt Auditorium sponsored by UR Cinema Group and a game of paintball sponsored by Fashionably Late.
While students that took advantage of the weekend seemed to enjoy themselves, some events could have been better, according to Algier.
Both paintball and football tickets sold out very early, leaving many students who wanted to attend the events unable to do so.
Despite this, the weekend helped raise spirits and started the year off well. “The weather was great, and the students were out. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces” Algier said.
“The combination of the weather, free food, a good band, and an exciting football game created a nice social atmosphere to start the year off,” senior Emily Desmond said.
Haymovits can be reached atohaymovits@campustimes.org.
