Homecoming to be Held Oct. 5-9

BUFFALO, N. Y. --The UB Alumni Association will host a variety of activities during Homecoming Week 2005, to be held Wednesday through Oct. 9 on both the North (Amherst) and South (Main Street) campuses.

This year's theme, "Sea of Blue," will be brought to life on Oct. 7 when all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to show their UB spirit by wearing blue.

Next weekend also is Family Weekend at UB, and the Division of Student Affairs will sponsor a variety of events, including a concert by singer Vanessa Carlton at 8 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus, and two performances by comedian Steve Caouette at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

An unprecedented number of school-based alumni events are planned throughout Homecoming Week, in addition to the traditional UB Alumni Association pre-game tent party. The Bulls will take on the University of Akron Zips in the homecoming game at 1:30 p.m. in UB Stadium.

Among the events scheduled as part of Homecoming Week:

• Six alumni and one former athletic administrator will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Alumni Arena, North Campus. The celebration will features two new awards: the Distinguished Alumni Award for Athletics recognizing alumni who made significant accomplishments in athletics after they left UB, and the Pioneering Award recognizing outstanding athletes, administrators, coaches and participants during those years in which women's athletics were not recognized at the varsity level. For more information, call 829-2608.

• The second annual Pillars Society luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 7 in Harriman Hall, South Campus. This distinguished group of alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago will be welcoming the class of 1955.

• The School of Management will sponsor a self-guided tour of the new Alfiero Center in Jacobs Management Center, North Campus. The center includes an Internet café, high-tech classrooms, a student common area and wireless technology. The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7-9.

• The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will host tours of its state-of-the-art structural engineering and earthquake simulation laboratory in Ketter Hall, North Campus. The tours will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Oct. 8. The new laboratory is equipped with twin reconfigurable six-degrees-of-freedom shake tables, each with a 50-ton capacity allowing researchers to transform earthquake engineering research and to optimize discovery in homeland security.

• The Student Association and UB Alumni Association will host their first student/alumni tailgate party at 11 a.m. in a tent at the south end of UB Stadium. The party will include food, giveaways and a special visit by Pedro and Uncle Rico from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." In addition, representatives from the School of Public Health and Health Professions and the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will be on hand to offer advice on "Staying Healthy in the 21st Century." Admission is free.

• The annual Alumni Homecoming and Family Weekend Pre-Game Tent Party will begin at noon on Oct. 8 inside UB Stadium. Sponsored by the UB Alumni Association and Student Affairs, the party will offer a Caribbean lunch featuring sweet-and-sour grilled chicken and grilled jerk pork tenderloin. Tickets for UB Alumni Association members are $5 in advance or $10 the day of the party. Tickets for non-members are $10. There is no charge to enter the tent. Call 829-2608 for tickets and more information.

• The Office of Admissions will hold a seminar for alumni whose children or grandchildren will be going through the college admissions process. The session will begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 9 in 12 Capen Hall, North Campus. Admission is free and a light lunch will be served. Call 645-6417 for more information.

More information for all Homecoming events may be found on the UB Alumni Association Web site at http://www.alumni.buffalo.edu