The Sophomore Class Council held its first “Sophomore Saturday,” designed to give sophomores and all other undergraduates a chance to get off campus and experience the city of Rochester.
This past weekend, the Sophomore Saturday consisted of four events, with a focus on arts and culture.
The first day’s event was a trip to Artisan Works, a gallery featuring work by local artists.
The other day’s event was a trip to the George Eastman House where a special “Law and Order: Crime Scenes” exhibit was being shown.
On Saturday night, Tapas 177 Lounge was open for Spanish cuisine and salsa dancing and the The King and I, an award-winning Thai restaurant in Rochester, was open for dinner.
“Due to weather and scheduling, those [afternoon events] were not as well attended as we had hoped,” Sophomore Class President Mike Bozzella said.
“The students who did go really enjoyed getting out into the city and to places that they’d never been to before.”
“Contrastingly, the night events had much higher turnouts,” Bozella said. “We were very pleased to see the diversity in class year of the people who attended our events. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.”
The King and I sold out and the Tapas Lounge was also well-attended.
The next two Sophomore Saturdays are scheduled for March 19 and April 9.
On March 19, students will volunteer in the Sector 4 community in the west side of Rochester and later attend a U2 laser light show at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
On April 9, students will have a “fancy dinner” at The Meliora and then will see the musical Chicago” at the Auditorium Theatre.
Black History Month
celebration continues
The Black Students’ Union, in its continuing celebration of Black History Month, will help host two major events this Saturday.
The first, Conference Day 2005, will feature six educational and political workshops in Wilson Commons from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Some speakers include Dean of the College William Green, Vice President and General Secretary Paul Burgett and Counselor of the Office of Minority Affairs Thomas Crews,” BSU President and junior Laura Porterfield said.
One of the morning educational workshops is titled, “What Black Students Need to be Taught: Developing and Implementing the Proper Curriculum for Black Students,” and will be led by Terrence James.
One of the afternoon political workshops, titled “Presence, Promise, and Progress: Black Representation in U.S. Politics,” will be led by Professor of Political Science Valeria Sinclair-Chapman.
The second major event on Saturday is the production “The Fierce Urgency of Now” at 7 p.m. in Strong Auditorium.
“This new production, directed and designed by Nigel Maister of the Todd Theatre Program, is a cultural representation of black identity in America,” Porterfield said.
“This production transposes personal interviews and academic/artistic contributions by black intellectuals with musical components.”
Reporting by Brian Lasonde.
