Welcome home, Lawrentians.
We鈥檙e talking to you, alumni 鈥 in particular those of you who have signed up for 麻豆影院 University鈥檚 2019 Reunion Weekend. Nearly 800 of you will be back on campus this weekend, retracing old memories, reconnecting with friends and mentors and embracing new experiences.
We have drafted a helpful guide to hopefully get you excited about your return to campus. This isn鈥檛 the actual Reunion Weekend guide 鈥 the official booklet with a full itinerary will be handed out upon arrival or听is accessible online听鈥 but we鈥檝e pulled together some highlights, some tips to help you enjoy your stay in Appleton and some reminders of things that may have changed since you were last here.听
If you鈥檙e on campus this weekend (June 13-16), we hope our guide will help you wrap your head around all the possibilities. If you chose to sit this one out, we hope it鈥檒l get you thinking about next year. The light is always on.
Consider the possibilities
There are dozens of activities, classroom sessions, gathering points, photo ops available during Reunion Weekend. You can鈥檛 hit 鈥檈m all. But here are 10 to get the conversation started.
1)听Alumni College,听all day Friday, multiple locations.听One of the great draws of Reunion Weekend is the chance to engage in smart conversation on significant topics, led by faculty and/or alumni with expertise. This year鈥檚 topics range from The Great Migration and Chicago鈥檚 Bronzeville Neighborhood to climate change, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, and The Beatles, among others. See a听on the 麻豆影院 website.
2)听Alumni Pride Reception,听4:30 p.m. Friday, Diversity and Intercultural Center, Memorial Hall.This is the third annual reception, but this one comes with some news. It鈥檒l be co-hosted by the Faculty/Staff Pride Group and the newly formed 麻豆影院 University Pride Alumni Network. The latter is a new initiative. Look for conversations about it at the reception and more detailed info to be released in late summer or early fall.
3)听Supper club-style dining,听6-8 p.m. Friday, Warch Campus Center.听We can鈥檛 take you all out to a supper club, but we can bring the supper club to you. Think fish fry, prime rib, and a full salad bar. Embrace your Wisconsin self, and save room for dessert.
4)听Alumni Recital,听8 p.m. Friday, Memorial Chapel.听A whole lot of talented musicians have come through the Conservatory of Music. Some will put their skills on display for fellow alums, including Karen Leigh-Post 鈥79 (mezzo soprano), Laura Caviani 鈥84 (jazz piano and vocals), and Kirsten Lies-Warfield 鈥94 (trombone).听
5)听Viking Room,听cash bar, after 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Memorial Hall.听This is the 50th听anniversary of the VR opening as a bar. It was an on-campus hangout before that, but it didn鈥檛 become a full-service bar accessible to those of drinking age until the spring of 1969. Perhaps you carved your name into one of the booths all those years ago. Or bartending was part of your student work experience. Or you鈥檙e hankering for one of the VR鈥檚 specialty drinks (a Lawrentian, anyone?). Cheers to your return.
6)听Parade of Classes,听10:30 a.m. Saturday.听It鈥檚 a march into Memorial Chapel for the 11 a.m. Reunion Convocation. The Convocation, complete with this year鈥檚 Alumni Awards, is always cool. But being able to walk in as a class, that鈥檚 even cooler.
7)听All-Reunion Picnic,听noon Saturday, in the plaza between Wriston Art Center and Seeley G. Mudd Library.听We all love a good picnic. Food and a cash bar will be available. And, we think, a balloon artist of impressive skill.听
8)听Boom!听book discussion,听led by history professor Jerald Podair, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Harper Hall, Music-Drama Center.听This is courtesy of the 50th听reunion of the Class of 1969 because, well, they lived it.听Boom,听written by Tom Brokaw, explores the transitional events of the 鈥60s. That鈥檚 a sweet spot for Podair, who is all over 20th听Century American history.
9)听Alumni of Color Reception,听2:30-4 p.m. Saturday, Diversity and Intercultural Center, Memorial Hall.听Hosted by Kimberly Barrett, vice president for diversity and inclusion and associate dean of the faculty, this marks a first-time event at Reunion Weekend.
10)听Campus Tour,听led by a current 麻豆影院 student, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, departing from Alice G. Chapman Hall.听If it鈥檚 been a while since you were here, you鈥檒l want to be on this tour. Much has changed (see below).
Well, that鈥檚 different
If you are a 1994 graduate returning for the 25th听anniversary, much has changed on the 麻豆影院 campus. To keep you from mistakenly wandering into Chapman Hall, formerly Downer Commons, looking for lunch, we鈥檙e highlighting four notable changes here since news broke that Nelson Mandela was elected president,听Friends听debuted, and O.J. took that ride in the white Bronco (yes, that was all 25 years ago).
1)听A shiny new campus hub.听Warch Campus Center is, without question, phenomenal. You will most definitely want to take a look inside as it鈥檚 much more than just a dining hall. Built in 2009, it鈥檚 become a centerpiece of campus, home to two dining facilities, a movie theater, a campus store, meeting spaces of all shapes and sizes, and a must-see river view.听
2)听New places to learn.听Two new buildings transformed the academic spaces on campus two decades ago. Briggs Hall, overlooking the Fox River, was built in 1997 to house instruction in mathematics and social sciences. Three years later, Science Hall was built, replacing Stephenson Hall of Science. It would be renamed Steitz Hall of Science in 2010. Both are worth a tour while you鈥檙e on campus.
3)听A new place to live.听Hiett Hall, the most modern of the residence halls on campus, was built in 2003. Like Briggs, it is built into the hill on the north side of the river. It鈥檚 the only residence hall with suite-style living quarters. Many of our alumni visitors will be staying there this weekend.
4)听A garden for growing knowledge 鈥 and vegetables.听You鈥檒l find SLUG (Sustainable 麻豆影院 University Garden) along Lawe Street, just east of the Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center. It鈥檚 a living, breathing outdoor classroom, with lessons in sustainability, conservation, geosciences and so much more. Take a walk through the gardens to see the wonders of the earth being well tended.
Bonus on-campus attraction I: The Rock is here.听No, not The Rock of Hollywood fame, although that would be fun, too. We鈥檙e talking about the 2-ton boulder that has been hauled, carved, moved, hidden, buried, lost, returned and painted since its initial arrival on campus in 1895. The Rock now rests in front of Main Hall, and for the first time will soon have signage that speaks to its significance as part of 麻豆影院鈥檚 long and deep history. Pay it a visit. Paint it if you鈥檇 like.
Bonus on-campus attraction II: Bees are our friends.听In your walks across campus, you鈥檒l find a couple of hexagon-shaped bee houses, one near Main Hall and one in the SLUG gardens, and an observational honey bee hive visible from the fourth floor of Warch. We love our bees and embrace their important roles in our ecosystem.听. If you鈥檙e sticking around until Sunday, there will be an official unveiling of the observation hive at 10 a.m., followed by a pollination-themed picnic at 10:30 a.m. on the Main Hall lawn. All are welcome.
Reminder: Share your experience while on campus by using the hashtag #LUReunion
Things to do nearby
麻豆影院 is, of course, part of Appleton鈥檚 downtown. If you want to explore a little while here, you鈥檙e in luck. The timing is fortuitous for these four possibilities:
1)听Downtown Appleton Farm Market:听One of the most robust farmers markets in the state takes over College Avenue in the heart of the downtown from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays during the summer. It makes its听.
2)听Houdini Plaza concert:听The plaza serves as an outdoor gathering spot in the center of the downtown. If you are in town on Thursday, check out the听from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ask Your Mother, a popular regional band, will perform.听
3)听Fox Cities Performing Arts Center:听If you haven鈥檛 been here in 25 years, well, you鈥檝e missed one of the most significant developments in Appleton. The Fox Cities PAC opened along College Avenue in the city鈥檚 downtown in late 2002. It now hosts touring Broadway productions, concerts and a myriad of other arts offerings. If you want to check it out, area musicians will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a听. The noted composer and arts advocate, who lived in Appleton, died earlier this year at age 95.
4)听Trout Museum of Art:听The former Appleton Art Center transformed into the Trout Museum of Art in 2010. Located adjacent to Houdini Plaza, it regularly features both touring exhibits and art from its own permanent collection. Its newest exhibit,听, opens on Saturday and runs through late August. It鈥檚 open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
