Friday, July 25, 2008 1:11 PM CDT
EIU Day to debut at Illinois State Fair this year
By AMBER WILLIAMS, Staff Writer
awilliams@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Several times throughout each year, Eastern Illinois University holds open houses for people who are interested in learning more about the university and talking to faculty and staff.
For one day this year, a larger audience will be able to get some of the Eastern experience without setting foot on campus, said Karenlee Spencer, special events coordinator for the office of admissions.
Eastern is having its own EIU Day at the Illinois State Fair for the first time ever this year. The Eastern tent will be at the state fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8 in the Campus Town area.
“It is an open house on the road; we are taking EIU to the people,” Spencer said.
The idea to have an EIU Day at the fair has been considered at the university for a few years, and other state universities do it, said Vicki Woodard, university spokeswoman and member of the state fair committee.
Being at the state fair gives university alumni a chance to visit, people from around the state an opportunity to know more about Eastern and potential students a place to get more information about the university, Woodard said.
“We want to celebrate Eastern,” she said.
For EIU Day, Eastern will have a large tent at the fair and its own stage.
The stage will feature musical performances from Eastern students, mostly music majors, Spencer said.
There will be one blues-style band, one rock band and one ’90’s alternative band comprised of Eastern students playing.
The EIU Cheer team and Pink Panthers will also perform.
The university has 25 different tables with information and activities for visitors. Many of the tables will have activities that children can do at the Eastern tent.
The Tarble Arts Center is having hands-on kids’ crafts, the physics department will be showing experiments for kids, and the family and consumer sciences department will have a video presentation and face painting.
Fans of Eastern’s mascot will get a chance to have a free Polaroid picture taken with him in the tent.
“There will be lots of things for kids,” Spencer said.
University officials are hoping, too, for a good showing from Eastern alumni, and Alumni Services has been getting the word out through university newsletters and mailings.
“We are making a big effort to let our alumni know we will be there,” she said.
Alumni Services is sponsoring a balloon arch that people will need to walk through to enter the Eastern tent.
Although school will not be back in session when Eastern is at the state fair, the response from students wanting to help out has been overwhelming, Spencer said.
The office of external affairs has chartered a bus to bring all of the student volunteers to the fair, she said.
“We are thrilled to see the reaction is so positive,” Woodard said.
Contact Amber Williams at awilliams@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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swanee99 wrote on Jul 25, 2008 10:54 AM: