Press Releases
Denison's First Big Red Weekend
Please note: For a complete schedule of the weekend's
activities, please visit: www.denison.edu/brw
GRANVILLE—The first-ever Big Red Weekend for the entire Denison University family—parents, alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends—is the best time of the year to experience campus life.
This new event, set for Sept. 26-28, combines the formerly separate weekends for alumni and parent visits to create three days of interesting, informative and entertaining programming. (Parents of Denison students should note that Parents’ Weekend is now part of Big Red Weekend.) The tours, exhibits, performances, athletic events, open houses, classes and meal-time gatherings will have wide appeal for current and former students, parents, families and friends of the University.
On Friday, four “Back2School” classes will be offered:
- “A Professor’s Research Journey with Low Wage Workers Facing Job Loss,” Assistant Professor of Communication Amanda Gunn
- “Burmese Buddhas and the Emergence of a University Museum: How Collections Spur Investigation and Investment,” Natalie Marsh, director of the Denison Museum
- “A Million Little Truths: Creative Nonfiction Writing at Denison,” Assistant Professor of English Margot Singer
- “History of Granville,” a walking tour—rain or shine—through the central village district for a showcasing the many historic homes and other points of interest in the 1805, led by Tom Martin, a 1968 alumnus and Granville Historical Society board member
In addition, the Department of Philosophy will host a rousing discussion with students, faculty and visitors from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday in the Welsh Hills Room of Burton D. Morgan Center. The Office of Alumni Relations and the Academic Support and Enrichment Center also have scheduled open houses on Friday.
A recently added featured event is “Meltdown!” Taking place at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, this is an expert panel discussion of the current financial and economic crisis, as well as possible public policy responses. The panel features six distinguished Denison faculty: Provost and Professor of Economics Brad Bateman; Economics Professors Sohrab Bedad, Quentin Duroy, Fadhel Kaboub and Ross LaRoe; and Political Science Professor Jim Pletcher. This event is free and open to the public.
Several exhibits will be open during Big Red Weekend:
- Photography, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day in Slayter Hall
- “From the Fire: Contemporary Korean Ceramics, ” 1-4 p.m. each day in Denison Museum, Burke Hall
- “Gallery Hop” of student art work, Saturday afternoon in various locations across campus
Events for parents of current students include social and informational opportunities:
- Meet the faculty, Friday evening
- Breakfast with President Knobel, Saturday morning
- Meet the deans, later Saturday morning
- “After Denison—What?” Office of Career Services, Saturday morning
The Office of Religious Life and Denison Hillel will sponsor a Shabbat Dinner and Service on Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m., as well as a Bagel Brunch on Saturday at 11 a.m. Students residing at the Homestead will host a “work party” from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday to acquaint volunteers with the living-learning, student-run community with a focus on ecological sustainability.
A concert featuring two student a cappella groups, the Denison Hilltoppers and Ladies’ Night Out, will entertain campus visitors on Friday at 8 p.m., and a showcase concert of music department ensembles will take place Saturday evening at 8 p.m. Both performances are in Swasey Chapel.
Not to be missed by sports enthusiasts is the traditional Big Red football game, this year under the lights of Piper Stadium on Saturday evening. The important North Coast Athletic Conference contest pits the Big Red against the rival College of Wooster at 7 p.m. The college’s 2008 Varsity D Association Athletic Hall of Fame inductees will be introduced at halftime. (Please note that the special memorial recognition of long-time Denison football and track coach Bob Shannon ’50, originally scheduled for halftime of the football game, has been postponed and will be rescheduled to take place during a home track meet in the spring.) Other athletic contests scheduled during the weekend include the Big Red men’s soccer versus Wabash at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Barclay-Thomsen Field; and volleyball matches against Hiram College at 7 p.m. on Friday, Allegheny College at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and Case Western Reserve University at 3 p.m. on Saturday, all in Livingston Gymnasium.
Big Red Weekend will close on Sunday with a brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Huffman and Curtis Dining Halls, and a Roman Catholic Mass at 4:30 p.m. and an “Ecclesia” ecumenical chapel service at 6 p.m., both in Swasey Chapel.
Throughout the weekend, childcare will be provided during large blocks of time so that parents may sample activities while their children are safely entertained.
More information, including a complete and updated list of events, can be found by visiting www.denison.edu/brw on the Web, or by calling 740-587-5659.