Activities surround president’s inauguration

Joel Lehman

Excitement is running high around campus as the inauguration comes closer. Many events will take place during inauguration week to celebrate EMU and to raise funds for a student scholarship.

EMU's campus is buzzing this week with events celebrating the upcoming inauguration of Loren Swartzendruber. The events are building up to Saturday's inauguration ceremony inducting Swartzendruber as EMU's official president.

A steering committee was organized to help plan the inauguration and surrounding events, and has had input and planning from many departments and people from the EMU community, including students.

The steering committee has been planning since September, and has delegated various duties of planning to five subcommittees. Brian Martin Burkholder, campus pastor and chair of the events committee, expressed his enjoyment of seeing the planning come together.

"I'm glad and relieved to see everything finally happening this week," he said. "I hope people realize that this isn't just a celebration of Loren, but celebrating EMU and another milestone in EMU's history."

Burkholder's sentiments are in keeping with the rest of the committees, as well as Swartzendruber himself.

"Loren wanted a celebration of EMU, and something that highlighted some of the things EMU has to offer," said student assistant Lisa Mast.

The inaugural activities show such aspects of EMU as theater, music, athletics, resources such as the Common Grounds coffee shop, and many others. Some of the departments and offices that have been involved include the research and development offices, Student Government Association, Campus Ministries, the Conflict Transformation Program, and the art and music departments.

"There are so many things that were already scheduled this week, we got really lucky to be able to include so many things in the inauguration schedule," said Mast. Some of the events she listed included a children's choir and youth orchestra that are performing, various athletic events, and the meeting of EMU's Board ofTtrustees and the Mennonite Education Agency (MEA).

Some of the highlights of this week have already been the Christian comedy troupe, CPR, which performed Monday night, a frisbee golf tournament held on campus, and a golf tournament at Spotswood Country Club on Wednesday. Both tournaments were benefits for the Loren and Pat Swartzendruber Scholarship Fund, which requires $10,000 to become an active fund for students.

Upcoming events include a coffeehouse on Thursday evening where friends and family will share amusing stories about Loren.

"We have the theme 'story shaping story,'" said Burkholder, "and our intent is for students, friends, and family to have a little fun with him in a relaxed atmosphere."

Friday there will be a concert that includes the EMU Chamber Singers and the Bach Festival Orchestra under the direction of music professor Ken Nafziger. In addition, Tony Brown, a professional baritione, Hesston professor, and friend of Swartzendruber's, will be a guest soloist.

All these events culminate with the inauguration ceremony itself, which will happen Saturday afternoon. Later that evening a semi-formal event, "Twilight on the Plaza," will feature food from various ethnic restaurants around Harrisonburg and will simulate an international town square. This event is open to everyone, and both Mast and Burkholder encouraged students to attend.

Some people have reservations about the inauguration.

"It seems like we're spending an awful lot of money on this inauguration," said third-year student Nathan Maust. "I just don't know if we need to be spending as much as we are."

Mast was confident with the inauguration's budget compared to past years. "We have approximately the same budget as Joe's [Lapp] inauguration, and have a lot more events this time around."