Steel gives overview of October activities

The calendar of events at Seton Hill University (SHU) is full of entertainment, traditions, and changes this month. October is an especially memorable month for the SHU community because of Homecoming and Family Day weekend, held October 5-7 this year. Homecoming festivities include some favorites such as lantern tours of campus on Friday at 8 p.m., and the silent auction on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“People bring everything from wine baskets to Steeler tickets,” said Jaimie Steel, head of student activities and commuter life.

By Stormy Knight,

News Editor

The calendar of events at Seton Hill University (SHU) is full of entertainment, traditions, and changes this month. October is an especially memorable month for the SHU community because of Homecoming and Family Day weekend, held October 5-7 this year. Homecoming festivities include some favorites such as lantern tours of campus on Friday at 8 p.m., and the silent auction on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“People bring everything from wine baskets to Steeler tickets,” said Jaimie Steel, head of student activities and commuter life.

“All the funds go to budgets to benefit the students. The new furniture in the lounge – we used some of the money from last year to buy it,” she added.

There are also some changes to Homecoming weekend this year. The King and Queen of the Hill talent show was held on Thursday, October 4.

“(It was) a new location (McKenna Center) and a new night. We usually do it Friday, but we’re having the comedians Friday, and they’re on Friday because the game on Saturday is at night,” said Steel.

The comedians Steel references are four comedians from VH1’s hit series “Best Week Ever,” who will perform in Cecilian Hall at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.

“They’re basically going to do a performance of the show on campus,” said Steel.

“We’re trying to gear more toward Homecoming this year and not just Family Day. There are more things for alumni, but everybody is welcome to attend any event,” she said. The Legacy Luncheon held Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. is a new addition to Homecoming this year.

“A legacy is a student who has a family member who graduated from Seton Hill,” said Steel.

Aside from the homecoming weekend activities, October brings a number of other events for SHU students. The Unity Rally will be held in St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg at 7 p.m. on October 9.

According to Steel, SHU does not organize this event, the community does, although Sr. Louis Sculco, vice president for administration and student life at SHU is on the committee for the rally.

“It’s something that’s been done every year since the KKK came through a couple years ago,” said Steel.

This year the theme of the Unity Rally is Get on the Road to Diversity., and children will participate in the rally by coloring posters of school buses. This event is sponsored by the Central Westmoreland Unity Coalition, and all are welcome to attend.

New to the SHU calendar of events this year will be the open mic nights at the Starbucks coffee shop located in the Wal-Mart plaza in Greensburg. According to Steel, SHU and Starbucks worked out a deal which allows students to receive discounts on beverages.

“We provide the entertainment and they provide us with the shop as a venue,” Steel added.

The open mic nights will take place once a month; this month it is scheduled October 10 at 8:30 p.m.

Things on campus will quiet down during October 13-16 for Fall break, but on October 18, Richard Rodriguez is to lecture in Cecilian Hall at 7:30 p.m. as part of SHU’s 2007-2008 “Year of Immigration” lecture series. Rodriguez’s lecture is titled, “The Gift of New Immigrants: America as a Round and Brown Idea.” There will be a book signing after the lecture, and this event is free for students to attend and only $10 for general admission.

The end of the month brings Halloween, and Night on Haunted Hill to the SHU campus on October 19 and 20. There will be a haunted house and game booths as always, as well as the Halloween dance on October 27 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in Sullivan Gym.

“There’s a deejay and the students dress up,” said Steel.

According to Steel, the Student Activities Council does not plan with the Co-Curricular Transcript (CCT) in mind as much as in the past.

“Freshmen don’t do the CCT this year…because they changed the portfolio so much that it’s not standard through Connections anymore. We don’t do that as much now because not everybody needs a CCT for their portfolio,” she said.

For more information on any of the events mentioned here, as well as the full list of events, please see the SHU website.