Troy University News

Contact:
Tom Davis
Troy Office of University Relations
334/670-3196
tomdavis@troy.edu

Office of University Relations
253 Adams Administration
Troy, AL 36082
(334) 670-3196
(334) 670-3274 (fax)

TSU spring alumni, family and parents weekend to have St. Pat’s theme

   Troy State University’s second spring alumni, parents and friends weekend, scheduled for March 16-17, will double as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. A week’s worth of Irish-theme activities on campus will lead up to the annual weekend, according to Faith Ward, Director of Alumni Affairs.
    "We wanted to make the spring reunion weekend special, and we wanted to have a theme that would be immediately recognizable to everyone," Ward said. "We think alumni and students will enjoy what we have planned. We plan to make the St. Patrick’s Day celebration an annual event."
    Dr. Jean Laliberte, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, said because Alabama does not already have a major St. Patrick’s Day celebration, area legislators are working to get the TSU festivities designated as the official state holiday celebration.
    "This celebration could grow into one of the bigger events at TSU," Dr. Laliberte said. "It’s important to have a great celebration for our alumni, parents and friends, but we also want to make sure students, faculty and staff aren’t left out."
    The weekend has also been planned to coincide with the annual T-Day spring intra-squad football game.
    Highlights of the weekend include a St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday morning at 11. The parade route will run down University Avenue through the heart of the campus.
    The T-Day game begins at 2 p.m., and special events will be held in the tailgating area starting around noon. TSU’s fraternities and sororities will also kickoff Greek Week competition that day with one of the most popular events, the team tug o’war event. Preliminaries will be held beginning around 11 a.m. on the football practice fields, with the finals held at halftime of the T-Day game. As always, there is no admission charge for T-Day.
    The day’s events will culminate with the annual reunion dinner, scheduled this year for the Trojan Arena. A reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor, with the reunion dinner at Trojan Arena starting at 7:30 p.m. Several awards will be presented to outstanding alumni, including the annual Distinguished Leadership Award to an outstanding TSU alumnus.
    The Reunion Weekend follows a full week of St. Patrick’s Day-related events on the TSU campus, including lectures on Irish history and culture and a "Miss Shamrock" pageant. In addition, the annual Nick Costes/Troy Banks and Merchants 5K-10K run is scheduled for March 17 beginning at 9 a.m., with the Shackelford Quadrangle serving as the starting point. The run benefits the TSU HPER Club.