Student organizations safely gathered on the Global Neighborhood basketball courts on Saturday and Sunday to paint large wooden “E”s.
Homecoming & Reunion Week 2020 is taking a mostly virtual form, but many students on campus are still eager to demonstrate their school spirit during the week of activities that runs Oct. 12-18.
The Office for Student Involvement and the student traditions council, The Flame, created the “Painting of the Es” event this year as a way to encourage school spirit and student involvement.
On Saturday night and Sunday afternoon before Homecoming and Reunion Week 2020 kicked off, student organizations were given the opportunity to paint a 40-inch “E” with a design representing their club, team or Elon spirit.
The “E”s are displayed in Lakeside Plaza throughout Homecoming & Reunion Week. Along with decorating the plaza, the “E”s give students the chance to learn about other organizations on campus.
Students are encouraged to view the designs and vote for their favorites. QR codes underneath each of the E’s will bring up a Phoenix Connect page, which will allow people to digitally place their vote.
The event, which was originally to be held on the Global Neighborhood basketball courts, was moved under the tent to account for the weather. Students were supplied with brushes, paints, and drop cloths to protect the tables.
Despite the rainy weather, the energy under the tent was high. Cheerful music was playing while students socialized as they painted.
Assistant Director of Student Involvement for Campus Activities Adrian Carpenter explained why many student organizations were eager to be involved.
“These groups can create something to show off and display during Homecoming week,” said Carpenter. “It’s a great way for the students to get involved and take pride in their work.”
Students saw the event as a chance to meet safely with their friends while creating a design that represented their organization.
Elon Chorale, one of the organizations in attendance, chose to paint musical symbols and piano keys on their E. The group, which is mostly composed of students from the Camerata and élan classes, are still meeting face-to-face during class, with many modifications.
“Our meetings have been shortened by an hour and we are taking extensive measures, like wearing face shields or masks at all times,” said member Sam Davidson.
The students under the tent were enthusiastic to take on the project, which gave them the opportunity to socialize outside of class.
“It’s something nice to do together as a group,” explained member Diana Lynch. “We’re just excited to have something to do outside of class.”
Lynch and Davidson were joined by DeMya Culp, Amber Bond, Taylor Stephens, and Cecily Weinstein, who all participated in developing the design for their E.
The Flame Council and Office of Student Involvement were hopeful that the event would unite students in a variety of organizations. Both offices are hard at work at creating opportunities for students to connect this semester.
“Everyone has their individual affiliations,” explained Carpenter. “The whole purpose of this event was to bring students together through our wordmark, the Elon E. When students can customize that and make it their own, they can demonstrate their Elon pride while also expressing their enthusiasm about their organizations.”
The Painting of the “E”s activity was one of the many events scheduled during Homecoming & Reunion Week. A full schedule of events is available here.