Cake, activities celebrate National Orange Day

Cake, activities celebrate National Orange DayMarch 21, 2008SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

On the evening of March 24, birthday cake will be served in the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus from 5-7 p.m. to celebrate National Orange Day. Late night activities will include “orange”-themed refreshments, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution in the dining area of the Goldstein Student Center from 9-11 p.m. The activities are sponsored by the South Campus Organization for Programming Excellence (SCOPE) and the Office of Alumni Relations.

In addition, the Carrier Dome will be lit in orange on the evening of March 24.

This year’s celebration marks the 138th anniversary of SU’s founding on March 24, 1870. The annual birthday celebration, sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, the Traditions Commission and the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, will be held from noon-2 p.m. in the atrium of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. The event will feature remarks by Andrea Latchem, assistant vice president for alumni relations; Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs; and Marlene Goldenberg, president of the Student Association. Otto the Orange will cut the traditional birthday cakes, donated by the SU Bake Shop, and entertainment will be provided by WJPZ.

As part of the celebration, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Mary Ann Shaw Center are partnering on a community service project to collect needed items for Partners in Learning, a local nonprofit organization that oversees the West Side Learning Center, which offers English language classes, and the MANOS Dual Language Early Childhood Program, a language and child care program for children ages 18 months to 4 years whose parents are enrolled in the West Side Learning Center programs.

Items needed for the MANOS program include various children’s art supplies, such as paints, brushes, construction paper and scissors; children’s books in English and other languages; board games; music CDs; Play-Doh; and winter hats, gloves and jackets. Items needed for the West Side Learning Center include copier paper; notebooks; current event magazines; language dictionaries; and tables. A complete list of needed items is on the web at http://alumni.syr.edu.

Donated items may be brought to the National Orange Day celebration on March 24 or to the Office of Alumni Relations, located in the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. The deadline for donations is Monday, March 31.