The committee for Longwood's 175th anniversary meets regularly to discuss ways to bring the school, alumni and the Farmville community together to celebrate Longwood's history. This past Friday, the committee held one of these meetings.
The framework of the committee was as follows. Each department picked two representatives to join this committee, and those two were paired up to contribute what they could to the celebration. Other committees, such as Public Relations, the Student Event Committee, Academic Event Committee and the Town Event Committee, have been working behind the scenes to make all of this possible.
The committee strives to think of ways to involve students, not just adults. The committee is constantly asking students for feedback or suggestions.
The Public Relations group created the Longwood 175 website.The Student Events Committee is responsible for planning fun activities all year while sticking to our beloved Longwood traditions. Student Events is planning on having a big birthday party in March to celebrate Longwood’s anniversary; the exact date and time are to be announced. The tentative plan is during the week before Spring Break, which is also the week of the anniversary.
The Academic Event Committee is very similar to the Student Events Committee. The Academic Event Committee handles activities like the American Shakespeare Center’s play, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” that came to Longwood. The committee has also been putting together a lecture series in which they have been attempting to get well-known people and dress them up in Longwood gear.
The Town Event Committee is responsible for bringing the Town of Farmville and the university together. The Town Event Committee helps in the organization of activities like Rock the Block.
There are also many ideas that are still being decided upon. The Students Events Committee has been trying to work a deal out with Barnes and Nobles where they might consider offering a discount to Longwood students. The committee is also looking into obtaining a pictorial CD.
During the week-long anniversary celebration, there also may be a spirit week. Dorrill Dining Hall’s (D-Hall) Birthday Dinner will also take place during this week. Also, the monthly giveaways that have been occurring outside of D-Hall is also because of Longwood’s 175th Committee. The committee has been planning monthly giveaways by having different sponsors each month. In March, the 175th Anniversary Committee will be its own sponsor.
You don't want miss a single moment of this year-long event because it is history in the making. The university community deserves to celebrate its past and look forward to the future. Longwood still has a long way to go. It may be getting older, but that just means that it has seen a great deal more than any of us have in our lifetime.
