Contrary to popular belief, there are events happening at Ovation that are not strictly academic.
While Ovation is a great opportunity for upperclassmen to present research in a field, they’re passionate about, they can also get a lot out of attending BW’s Day of Excellence.
For Freshmen and Sophomores, Ovation can seem like a dautning event meant for students older than them, but BW’s departments of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs are hoping to prove that assumption wrong at this year’s event.
Marc West, dean of First Year Students, is trying out a new, fun idea aimed at the freshman called First-Year Swarm. Its goal is to encourage freshman to leave their dorms and explore all that Ovation has to offer.
“[First-Year Swarm] is a brand new thing we’re doing this year,” said West. “it’s basically an initiative from the Retention Task Force to get a sense of the current first-years’ plans for next semester. We want to know how many credits they’re taking, what kind of classes they’re interested in, that sort of thing.”
West also said that he hopes freshman take advantage of this opportunity because they’ll really get a taste of what it’s like to do their own research and present the findings.
“Ovation can really help a first-year student get a feel for what fields they might be interested in,” he said. “The freshman that come to this now will be a little more prepared for when they too have to present.”
West believes that students who do come to the event will be beneficial for them.
“There will be four raffles at the First-Year Swarm, with each having a prize of a $100 gift card,” said West. “All a student has to do is fill out a paper saying they attended a presentation or something, and turn it in, and they have a chance to win some money.”
Also occurring at Ovation is an event for the sophomore class called the Sophomore Celebration.
Susan Warner Taylor, who is part of the Academic Affairs department, thinks that this “celebration” is especially earned.
“We are getting close to the halfway mark for graduation for the class of 2021, and that deserves some recognition,” she said.
By filling out a quick survey, Taylor says, sophomores will be awarded two prizes, one being a specially-designed T-shirt made especially for the 2021 graduating class, and the other is a “fast pass” ticket that lets all sophomores go to the head of the line for the food trucks that will be at BW for Ovation.
Taylor is encouraging as many sophomores as possible to come to this event, especially because it is celebrating their success, and there are some great prizes, both of which can be picked up in Marting Hall starting at 11:30 a.m. on day of excellence.
For more information on either the First-Year Swarm or the Sophomore Celebration, visit the BW website or contact Academic Affairs.