To amp up Harding spirit and create a new tradition, the Campus Activities Board is hosting a weeklong, campuswide celebration Oct. 24-29. I Heart HU Week will have different themes each day with coordinating activities based on those themes, including a tournament of the Harry Potter-inspired sport of Quidditch, butterbeer (a non-alcoholic beverage), three concerts, a dodgeball tournament, a bonfire, a parade and tailgating before the big football game.
The themes of the week are: I Heart HU because “it rocks,” “it’s festive,” “it’s giving,” “it’s classy, ” “it’s on fire” and “it’s awesome.”
Apart from the weeklong activities of club week, Harding does not have any other celebration that spans Monday through Saturday. Fundamentally, the week is a spirit week for college students, extending the festivities of Homecoming weekend to the Monday before. Moreover, the weekend has traditionally been focused on the football game and the musical; I Heart HU Week will provide more student-centered activities.
“I was thinking about the phrase ‘it’s great to be at Harding,'” said Corey McEntyre, director of campus life. “And then, I started thinking of ways to make it great to be at Harding. It’s a fresh take on what a spirit week for college would look like.”
And so, I Heart HU Week was born.
Seniors Kelly Gemma and Amanda Herren, the CAB directors, also weighed in on decisions made about the activities, themes and giveaways.
“I don’t want to point out a specific day, but I’m really excited about the fall fest,” Gemma said. “I’m excited for everyone to come together, for this week to be big and people to be excited about going to Harding.”
According to McEntyre, the planning stages of this week began last spring. McEntyre had students applying for CAB for the fall semester plan their own I Heart HU Week as part of the application process. McEntyre, Herren and Gemma sorted through student ideas, getting a feel for what the students wanted to see, and partially made their selections based on those ideas and elaborating on the ideas.
According to Gemma, students have been most excited about the Quidditch tournament; four teams were made the first day sign-ups were open.
Music will be another focus of the week. On Monday, students will play “Rock Band” in the student center and CAB has already started selling tickets for The Belle Brigade concert, which will also feature the band Ha Ha Tonka. The Sheriffs of Nottingham and The Nobility will play later in the week on Friday night during the bonfire.
“I want to start a tradition,” McEntyre said. “I want to show students that Harding is a lot of fun and that we can be creative in the way things are done here.”
