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With papers, projects and finals just around the corner, most Wesleyan students
could use a break from it all.
Students will be given the opportunity to do just that on Friday, April 30 when
the Student Government Association hosts its annual Spring Fling. This year's
Spring Fling is filled with rides, music, food, drinks and various other events.
Senior Leah Starkey is one of the coordinators for the event.
“I'm really excited about this year’s Spring Fling. Every year it has been a really good time and fun for everybody," said Starkey. "This year we got really lucky and were able to book some really good bands. I invite everybody to come out and see for themselves." If you want to spend some leisure time outdoors and listen to some great music there will be three bands to choose from: Dynamohum, Stagecoach Sally and Rainmaker are all scheduled to play.
“We are really excited to get such talented bands to play this year," said Starkey. "Rainmaker has opened for the Dave Matthews Band and has had a couple of sold-out shows here locally." There will also be a DJ who will play during intermissions between bands. The rides will start at 3 on Friday afternoon and will last until about 7; plenty of time to enjoy everything offered. If you need to let off a little steam before finals, come out and try your skills at sumo wrestling. If you feel uneasy about being pinned down by an oversized body suit, then you should try your hand on the Putt-Putt course that is available. There will be plenty of food as well, but it isn't recommended to stuff your face before trying out the blow-up bungee race.
If you have never set foot on a surfboard and are curious, there is a surfing simulator that will replicate the feeling of catching a wave. If cheap thrills and spills is your idea of fun, there will be a remote control racetrack that will help satisfy your need for speed. For all of the pigskin fans on campus, there will be a Carolina Rules flag football game. The rosters should already be set up, but anybody is welcome to watch and cheer on the players. There will also be a volleyball court that will be available for those who want a taste of beach activity.
There will be plenty of food available as well. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken and all of the customary cookout foods will be in attendance inside the dining hall. Dinner will begin at 5 p.m. and will last until 7, and will be available through your meal plan, so all you need to bring to enjoy these foods is a meal card. Outside the dining hall, on Batten Center Quad, there will be free cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones for your enjoyment as well. After dinner, for people who are 21 years of age, there will be an area serving alcoholic beverages at $1 a drink.
For anyone who isn't 21or chooses not to drink, there will be a stand with alternative beverages as well. Another highlighted event that will take place at this year’s Spring Fling will be the first performance of Wesleyan's step team. The girls are excited to perform and have practiced hard to make sure their performance will be entertaining. Greek families will also be at the event sponsoring various booths. Phi Kappa Tau will be holding a pie-in-the-face fundraiser. Each pie will cost $1 and will be at the disposal of the customer.
Tri Sigma girls are hosting a booth entitled "Egg Head.” Each egg will cost $1, but if you want to break an egg over one of your favorite Tri Sigma girls, that will cost $2. Be sure to bring a few spare bucks so you can help your school and enjoy the fun. This year’s Spring Fling promises to be a memorable one. It is one of the most talked about events of the year.
“We try to get as many people as we can to attend. We encourage people to spread the word and even bring somebody along," said Starkey. "Guests are welcome, as long as you register them through security first." This year’s Spring Fling event has all of the qualities of a good time. Rides, food, drinks, games and music are mixed into the equation, and the only thing missing will be you, if you choose not to attend. Come out and experience the fun from 3 p.m. until 11p.m. on Friday.
Phillip Perdue, associate vice president for college advancement, is the newest addition to the Virginia Wesleyan Development staff. Perdue has been in fundraising since 1986 and has worked previously on political campaigns in Indiana and for The March of Dimes in San Francisco, Calif.
"Because of my background in English, the liberal arts are dear to my heart," said Perdue. "I'm proud to be part of an institution where the liberal arts are an important foundation." Perdue recently worked for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business for the last four years. He has an M.B.A. from VCU in Business and a B.A. from Indiana University in English. Perdue said he looks forward to serving the small but friendly Wesleyan community. He hopes to build more scholarship money for students, improve buildings, and strengthen alumni relations. He would like to make student's visions reality and make the alumni proud to be Virginia Wesleyan College graduates.
We've made it through another year, Wesleyan. Some of us will be back for more in the fall, but others will be signing off from college life when the semester ends. Saturday, May 15, at 11a.m. in the Convocation Center, the "real" lives of Virginia Wesleyan's graduating seniors will begin. Many people are involved in this year's ceremony. Millard Fuller, the founder of the Habitat for Humanity program, will be guest speaker and one of Wesleyan's own faculty will sing a selection.
The college marshals, led by political science professor Bill Jones, will be participating in the ceremony as well. The group is comprised of campus honor societies, and invitations are sent out to all members in order to have enough students to help the ceremony run smoothly. Because this year's Commencement will take place in the Convocation Center, the students will only be allowed to invite a limited number of people. The seniors were sent tickets in the mail to give to loved ones whom they wished to be in attendance at the ceremony.
"We had the ceremony in the Convocation Center two years ago, and we feel it worked very well," said Dr. Stephen Mansfield, Wesleyan's academic dean. "The room will be repositioned this year, moving the stage to the Bubble end instead of the middle. This should cause less distraction." The traditions incorporated into this year's ceremony will be the singing of the Alma Mater, the college mace, carried by Jones, and, of course, the awarding of degrees to this year's seniors.
Faculty awards and an honorary degree will be given out at the ceremony as well, but don't expect it to last all day. "We pride ourselves on the ceremony lasting only about an hour," said Mansfield. "Speakers are asked to limit their comments, and of course the size of the graduating class is an issue, but people tend to appreciate the fact that we get the ceremony done in a reasonable amount of time."
In preparation for this year's Commencement, Jones will hold a "touchdown meeting" with the participating college marshals. This will ensure that the day will be, according to Mansfield, "a pleasant one." The graduating seniors also do their part to prepare for the ceremony. Before the ceremony a rehearsal will be held, and with hope for close-to-perfect attendance, the coordinators of the ceremony feel sure that this year's ceremony will be a wonderful experience.
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