Celebrate! important week for student
arts Ryan Howard / Reporter
For many students, SURF day means only one thing: no class.
The reason class is canceled, however, is for the Student
Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF). This is a chance for
Elon students to attend sessions given by their peers. This
year, Elon has decided to draw more attention to these events
by making them part of the first annual "Celebrate!
Student Achievements in Academics and the Arts."
Celebrate! will be a weeklong festival of student
performances and presentations for the Elon community,
including the unveiling of Colonnades and the Thomas
Jefferson Essay Contest dinner.
Associate professor Hal Walker's Leisure Sport
Management Senior
Seminar class took on the task of organizing the event. They
have been planning it since the beginning of spring semester.
Senior Taylor Jacobs' group was in charge of scheduling
performances.
"It's going along pretty well," Jacobs said.
The week's events will culminate in an all-day festival
on the Young
Commons with concerts, outside food vendors and free prizes
for students. It will start at the end of classes and end at
8 p.m., so everyone can go to Alumni Gym for a step show.
Jacobs feels the variety of performances and events will
appeal to everyone. She hopes that students will come out to
see what their peers have been working hard on.
"It'll be a really good time," she said.
Celebrate! is the result of the efforts of Steven House,
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He visited Harvard
University during
"Arts First," its weeklong showcase of the arts.
House wanted to initiate something similar at Elon, but felt
it was important to include academics as well. That is why
SURF day is a major part of Celebrate!
Last year there were some other campus events on SURF day,
but no extended festival. "That was our first
step," House said.
House sees great promise in the event and would like to see
it expanded upon in future years.
"I would hope that this becomes an Elon
tradition," he said.
Contact Ryan Howard at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247. | 
