The Student Activities Office did a great job with Yellowjacket Weekend this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Though concerns about rain moved some of the festivities to indoors, turnout was not hurt in the least – all events were well attended by the university community.
Festivities began with the College Convocation and the catered lunch that followed. Soon thereafter, student groups assembled in Dandelion Square for the Activities Fair. Numerous groups put forth great performances in order to aid recruitment – namely Yosakoi, D’Motions, Ballet Performance Group and others.
The Hartnett Gallery was pleased to announce the first show of its 30th anniversary. In Christine Shank’s exhibit, titled “She Quietly Considers,” she illustrates stories, imagining the desperate situations of personal relationships as scenes of tragic disasters. The Hartnett Gallery Committee and the Office of the President sponsored this event.
Comedian Sarah Silverman packed Strong Auditorium on Friday night for her highly anticipated stand-up comedy performance. Over in Wilson Commons, Amos Rosenstein performed as part of UR Concerts’ Friday Night Live! Coffeehouse Performance. He performed a great acoustic guitar set to the packed Common Ground Caf.
To cap the night off, the 2008 Class Council and the Cinema Group showed the timeless Frat Pack movie “Old School” for the Drive-in Movie program. Arguably the National Lampoon’s “Animal House” of our generation, this seminal film was doubtlessly an appropriate choice, showing our new freshmen the essence of college life.
In order to drum up support for the Courage Bowl later on Saturday night, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Wilson Commons Student Activities and Dining Services came together to put on a tailgate party and luau. Despite grey skies overhead and a light drizzle falling, many students enjoyed rides, midway games and free snacks. For those early enough, free “Feel the Sting” t-shirts were distributed.
The luau also included a delicious buffet, offering Hawaiian and barbecue fare such as pulled pork, mango coleslaw and pineapple upside down cake – definitely worth a club meal.
The Spin Doctors, best known for their agreeable post-grunge music, were the main draw of the day’s festivities. Lead singer Chris Barron brought a palpable energy to the stage, keeping the audience engaged for the entirety of their hour-long set. They played many of their hits from their 1991 album Pocket Full of Kryptonite, namely “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” before closing with their best-known single “Two Princes.” The Doctors balanced the nostalgia evoked by their early 90s hits with selections from their most recent album “Nice Talking To Me,” which was released in October of 2005.
There were two options for students on Saturday night. Fashionably Late, known for providing fun opportunities to go off campus on weekends, sponsored a trip to a nearby bowling alley. Additionally, Cinema Group screened the movie “Thank You For Smoking.”
Despite the weather, Yellowjacket Weekend proved to be a successful start to the semester.
