Homecoming week is always an exciting time on campus, but this year it is bound to be extra special, as AU is also kicking off its yearlong centennial celebration. Students, faculty, families and alumni will have no shortage of fun events to take part in all weekend long. To kick off Homecoming weekend, several distinguished alumni will gather in Reardon Lobby for the Alumni Career Fair. This is an excellent opportunity for students to fellowship with alumni while also building their networks … [Read more...]
America falls behind in paid maternity leave
Spanish Professor Dr. Brandan Grayson returned to AU this week to resume teaching classes after taking a 12-week leave to care for her new baby, Theo, who was born in July. Although she is grateful that the university made it possible for her to receive pay during her time away under the protection of a sick leave policy—a benefit that she acknowledges not all new parents have access to—she does not feel as though her leave was long enough. “My baby is three months old, not sleeping longer than … [Read more...]
AU ensembles and alumna host Homecoming concert
In addition to the highly-anticipated football game, theater production of “Gypsy,” and the street fair this homecoming weekend, AU students and alumni are invited to attend a musical performance starring the Wind and Jazz Ensembles. This year, the concert will also feature Valerie Maze, who is the recipient of the Outstanding Music Alumni Award. The concert will be held at Park Place Church of God on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free of charge and open to the public. The concert … [Read more...]
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Rush visits AU
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, AU celebrated Constitution Day with guest speaker Loretta Rush, the chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Rush spoke in York Performance Hall to a room full of AU students, community members, judges and even a class of high school students from Alexandria-Monroe High School. Constitution Day is a federally required time of reflection on the Constitution by educational institutions on or around Sept. 17 each year. During her lecture, Rush spoke on her experiences in … [Read more...]
Musical “Gypsy” premieres on campus this weekend
The cast and crew of the AU fall musical, “Gypsy,” has been working tirelessly to put together an amazing experience for their audience. “Gypsy” is a musical about Rose, the mother of Vaudeville star Gypsy Rose Lee, as together they face the reality of show business. The musical follows the progress of Rose as she works to raise two daughters to live out her dream for them: to perform on stage. The musical was written by Arthur Laurents with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim is known for … [Read more...]
Covenant Productions staff creates music video
Earlier this summer, an alumnus of AU had an idea to create a music video to Justin Timberlake’s hit song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” that would feature the faculty, staff, and student groups at AU. He kept directing the video in his head but couldn’t quite figure out how to get the job done. Eventually, he shared the project with David Armstrong, the operations director at Covenant Productions, AU’s on-campus video production company. Armstrong decided that the video could be used as a tool to … [Read more...]
A glimpse at Fall Into Dance open auditions
The nervous excitement starts to build as the dancers hear the music beginning to play. Shauna Steele, the area coordinator for dance in the School of Music at AU, instructs the performers to make a giant circle on stage behind the curtain as they await the opening of the show. “Take your energy and throw it into the circle,” she instructs. “Clear your mind and focus on the performance, but have fun.” It’s show time. This is the scene just moments before the Fall Into Dance show begins. With … [Read more...]
Gaither Archive to showcase alumni legacy
Bill and Gloria Gaither are undoubtedly two of the most successful alumni in AU history, but are at the same time largely unknown to much of the student body. The husband and wife song writing duo and associated Gaither Vocal Band have been making music for over 30 years. Starting Sep. 23, their work will be featured in the York Performance Hall Gaither Gallery as a part of the new Gaither Archive exhibits. Tai Lipan, director of university galleries and instructor of art, calls it a “living … [Read more...]
Senior exhibit “Still Here” on display until May
Last Saturday, the Communication and Design Arts Department hosted “Still Here,” which was the department’s senior art exhibition. The opening ceremony of the exhibit was held from 1-3 p.m. in AU’s Jessie C. Wilson Gallery. The exhibit featured the work of eight seniors, six of whom are design majors, and two who are fine arts majors, meaning that they focus primarily on painting. These students chose a project or subject to focus on at the beginning of the year and have spent the duration of … [Read more...]
AU Theatre presents ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’
Shakespeare has a reputation for leaving a bad impression on students worldwide. Maybe it’s the elevated language, maybe it’s the complicated plots, maybe it’s simply the fact that his works are “old,” but The Bard’s works, though widely read, are not always widely appreciated. Over the next few weekends, however, AU theatre students will take audiences on a rollercoaster ride of jokes and gags to help people lighten up and enjoy Shakespeare in the spring play “The Complete Works of William … [Read more...]