'Devilish Homecoming' heads to West campus
It’s a homecoming celebration. It’s an open house. It’s a carnival and more.
It’s Arizona State University’s 2009 “A Devilish Homecoming,” and the West campus has a full day of activities scheduled to satisfy and entertain faculty, staff and students, as well as the community at large. The fun takes place Oct. 28, and is a prelude to ASU’s Devilish Homecoming in Tempe on Oct. 31.
The West campus schedule of events gets underway at 10 a.m. with a faculty academic expo and concludes at 9 p.m. with “Movies on the Lawn,” featuring movies guaranteed to put attendees in the Halloween spirit.
“Our goal has been to present a representative sample of the wonderful things that make ASU and this campus special to our faculty, staff and students and to the community around us,” says Elizabeth Langland, ASU vice president and dean of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. “This is a great opportunity for people to come onto campus and discover all that we have to offer through our colleges and programs. We’ve designed it so that visitors have the chance to explore the campus and take part in a number of activities.”
The homecoming festivities begin at 10 a.m., in La Sala in the campus University Center Building (UCB). The display will include a close look at research projects and other works in progress conducted by West campus faculty. Similar to academic poster sessions of the past, the expo will be open to the public until 4 p.m.
The West campus homecoming and open house continues with “Devils Decorate West” on the campus’s center courtyard. On display from 2-5 p.m., will be booths highlighting ASU’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL), New College, W.P. Carey School of Business, University College, Barrett the Honors College, ASU Gammage, as well as displays featuring campus programs, clubs, departments and services. During the decorating event, ASU’s spirit line – featured on the Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium during football games – will be on hand, as will the Dixie Devils, a traditional six-piece Dixieland combo made up of members of the university’s renowned marching band.
From 2-4 p.m., campus tours will be conducted and classroom doors will be open for visitors to enjoy an “ASU Student for the Day” experience. ASU ambassadors, known as Devil’s Advocates, will guide visitors on tours around campus. Visitors also are encouraged to attend a schedule of selected mini-classes. Included in the courses are ASU 101, a primer on the vision of the New American University; distance-learning technology used by CTEL for its award-winning Professional Development School; and a history of Arizona class introduced by Bob Stump Endowed Professor of History Eduardo Pagán, who is currently featured as a guest co-host on the popular PBS series, “History Detectives.”
From 4-7 p.m., a homecoming carnival will be featured on the Fletcher Library Lawn and will include midway games, contests, inflatables, food, music and more.
“Sun Devils Recruiting Sun Devils,” scheduled from 5-7 p.m. in La Sala, is a homecoming event designed to connect students with ASU alums representing diverse professions and is an opportunity to gather information about career possibilities and university organizations.
Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance, a New College program, will offer a variety of presentations, beginning at 2 p.m., with a sculpture installation by noted artisan Ken Hruby and an art exhibit of antique hand fans on the third floor of Fletcher Library. “It’s Only Life,” a powerful and uplifting musical revue presented by noted Broadway composer John Bucchino, will be performed at 7:30 p.m., at Second Stage West on the lower level of the University Center Building (UCB).
All homecoming events at the West campus are free to the public. Prizes and giveaways will be featured throughout the day. ASU’s West campus is located at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. For more info, call Heidi Maxwell, West campus events manager, at (602) 543-5306.