Sweet Briar readies for fall classes
Posted on August 22, 2015 by Staff Writer
Sweet Briar College is welcoming students for its 110th academic year next week — the first of many to come in a new era for the school. Thanks to a spirited campaign by alumnae, students, faculty and staff, plans to wind down operations were turned into a determined effort to bring back students and recruit the Class of 2019. Fall classes will start Thursday, Aug. 27, with most students moving in on Monday, Aug. 24.
The first week of classes will also include orientation activities for new students, who arrive on campus Sunday. “Learning on the Land” will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday. These exploratory outdoor sessions encourage new students to examine the Sweet Briar environment from different perspectives. Options typically include canoeing and swimming in the Lower Lake or exploring the College’s 18 miles of trails on foot, bike or horseback. Sweet Briar’s version of the bystander intervention program “Step Up!” is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25.
This year, Sweet Briar will field teams for all sports — field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and tennis — with athletic practices for field hockey and soccer beginning Sunday morning. The first regular-season games will be played at home Sept. 5.
Opening Convocation will start the academic year at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, in Murchison Lane Auditorium in the Babcock Fine Arts Center, followed by an ice cream social outside the building. Please note that the ceremony is not open to the public, but photos will be provided upon request.
Other highlights include a Syllabus Eve BBQ sponsored by The Vixen Den Task Force, an alumnae group committed to fostering community spirit, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Quad. (More events sponsored by the group can be found here.)
Regular fall classes will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27. The art exhibition “We Are Sweet Briar: A Community Rises” opens the same day in Benedict Gallery, featuring protest banners and photographs by College photographer Meridith De Avila Khan. The show highlights the events that unfolded on campus in the wake of the school’s closure announcement on March 3.
An at-a-glance schedule follows below.
The first week of classes will also include orientation activities for new students, who arrive on campus Sunday. “Learning on the Land” will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday. These exploratory outdoor sessions encourage new students to examine the Sweet Briar environment from different perspectives. Options typically include canoeing and swimming in the Lower Lake or exploring the College’s 18 miles of trails on foot, bike or horseback. Sweet Briar’s version of the bystander intervention program “Step Up!” is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25.
This year, Sweet Briar will field teams for all sports — field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and tennis — with athletic practices for field hockey and soccer beginning Sunday morning. The first regular-season games will be played at home Sept. 5.
Opening Convocation will start the academic year at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, in Murchison Lane Auditorium in the Babcock Fine Arts Center, followed by an ice cream social outside the building. Please note that the ceremony is not open to the public, but photos will be provided upon request.
Other highlights include a Syllabus Eve BBQ sponsored by The Vixen Den Task Force, an alumnae group committed to fostering community spirit, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Quad. (More events sponsored by the group can be found here.)
Regular fall classes will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27. The art exhibition “We Are Sweet Briar: A Community Rises” opens the same day in Benedict Gallery, featuring protest banners and photographs by College photographer Meridith De Avila Khan. The show highlights the events that unfolded on campus in the wake of the school’s closure announcement on March 3.
An at-a-glance schedule follows below.
First week of classes at Sweet Briar College, Fall 2015
Sunday, Aug. 23-Thursday, Aug. 26
- Orientation for new students (selected sessions)
- 4-6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24 — “Learning on the Land”
- 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25 — “Step Up!”
- Athletic practices: Field hockey, soccer
Monday, Aug. 24
- Main move-in day
- 11:30 p.m. President Stone available for media interviews, Student Commons Courtyard
Wednesday, Aug. 26
- 1:30 p.m. — Opening Convocation, Murchison Lane Auditorium, Babcock Fine Arts Center
- 2:30 p.m. — Ice cream social, in front of Babcock
- 7 p.m. — Syllabus Eve Party, the Quad
Thursday, Aug. 27
- First day of classes
- 1:30 p.m. — Sluggo’s Sundae Drive, the Quad
- 9 a.m.-5 p.m. — “We Are Sweet Briar: A Community Rises,” Benedict Gallery
- 11:45 a.m. — President Stone available for media interviews, the Quad (near Memorial Chapel)
Friday, Aug. 28
- 5 p.m. — Quadrocks Student Involvement Fair, Student Commons Courtyard
- 9-11 p.m. — Night Hike and S’mores
Saturday, Aug. 29
- 11 a.m.-3 p.m. — Saturday Funday
- 7-9 p.m. — Scavenger Hunt
Athletics
Saturday, Sept. 5
- 11:30 a.m. — Soccer at home vs. Christendom College
- 2:30 p.m. — Field hockey at home vs. Notre Dame of Maryland
