The Daily OrangeUniversity to announce SU Showcase programming
By Shayna Meliker
Posted: 2/18/09, 1:55 AM EST Section: News
Syracuse University will announce its SU Showcase programming - including a breakfast, triathlon and band performance - at a 1 p.m. event today in the Panasci Lounge of the Schine Student Center.
Many of the day's events, formerly called MayFest, focus on sustainability concerns. Organizers hope to find a well-known band with an environmental focus, to present a keynote speech and performance on the Quad, said Kathleen Hopkins, director of Hill Communications and a junior public relations major.
They had been working with Guster, an acoustic-pop band, but the plan fell through because of scheduling conflicts, Hopkins said.
"There's a misconception that it's a day off and a day to party, when the reality is, SU Showcase is a day for the university to come together and appreciate what their fellow classmates have been working so hard on all year," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said organizers are trying to disprove the cliché that the day is simply a large-scale science fair. Those academic presentations will still take place, Hopkins said, but they will probably be moved out of the Carrier Dome.
The day, scheduled for April 21, will include a triathlon with a sports focus, and art and academic trivia components. Other events are a sustainability showcase in Maxwell Auditorium, a teach-in on climate change and an evening performance by campus dance clubs.
"First and foremost, we want students to have fun and enjoy the day," Hopkins said. "We don't want it to be something they're dragged to or forced to go to."
SU renamed MayFest this year, in an effort to distance the university holiday from the Euclid Avenue parties. The day of cancelled classes was first held in May of 2005, moved to April in 2006 and gained its party reputation in 2007. Last year, 36 houses along Euclid Avenue hosted more than 2,500 students.
Approximately 40 students attended a "Save MayFest" forum hosted by the Student Association Thursday. Some students who attended the meeting discussed their concerns that the tradition of MayFest is being thrown away. Representatives from Hill Communications stressed that the new events are not meant to undermine the tradition.
Many of the day's events, formerly called MayFest, focus on sustainability concerns. Organizers hope to find a well-known band with an environmental focus, to present a keynote speech and performance on the Quad, said Kathleen Hopkins, director of Hill Communications and a junior public relations major.
They had been working with Guster, an acoustic-pop band, but the plan fell through because of scheduling conflicts, Hopkins said.
"There's a misconception that it's a day off and a day to party, when the reality is, SU Showcase is a day for the university to come together and appreciate what their fellow classmates have been working so hard on all year," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said organizers are trying to disprove the cliché that the day is simply a large-scale science fair. Those academic presentations will still take place, Hopkins said, but they will probably be moved out of the Carrier Dome.
The day, scheduled for April 21, will include a triathlon with a sports focus, and art and academic trivia components. Other events are a sustainability showcase in Maxwell Auditorium, a teach-in on climate change and an evening performance by campus dance clubs.
"First and foremost, we want students to have fun and enjoy the day," Hopkins said. "We don't want it to be something they're dragged to or forced to go to."
SU renamed MayFest this year, in an effort to distance the university holiday from the Euclid Avenue parties. The day of cancelled classes was first held in May of 2005, moved to April in 2006 and gained its party reputation in 2007. Last year, 36 houses along Euclid Avenue hosted more than 2,500 students.
Approximately 40 students attended a "Save MayFest" forum hosted by the Student Association Thursday. Some students who attended the meeting discussed their concerns that the tradition of MayFest is being thrown away. Representatives from Hill Communications stressed that the new events are not meant to undermine the tradition.
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