Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Swat alumni and families will join students, faculty and staff on campus this weekend for the college’s second annual Garnet Weekend. The weekend, which includes Homecoming and Family Weekend, is full of athletic, academic and social events including a Pep Rally and several sporting events as well as opportunities to meet faculty and to attend special lectures, including one from Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat ’80.
Garnet Weekend begins with the Pep Rally. Although shorter this year than last, the Pep Rally will feature all Swarthmore College teams, unlike last year which only featured fall and winter sports. Also featured in the event is Mixed Company, who will perform the National Anthem.
“The pep rally is really meant to encourage for school spirit, not just regarding sports, but Swarthmore pride in general,” Co-Chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Mariam Vonderheide ’13 said. “One of SAAC’s goals is to foster relationships between athletes and other performing groups, encouraging musicians and artists to come down to games and athletes to attend concerts and shows. The pep rally is just another extension of this endeavor.”
“The pep rally is a time for current and former students as well as families to come together in a low stress, high-energy environment,” Co-Chair of SAAC Rose Pitkin ’14 added. “It is an excellent way of garnering school spirit and appreciation of our student athletes.”
Saturday’s events will be dominated by Swarthmore athletic games. Playing against three opponents in one day, the women’s volleyball team is the first Swarthmore team to play at 11:00 a.m. The women’s soccer team will follow, with a game at 1 p.m. against City College of New York. The team is looking to win its sixth consecutive game and clinch a playoff spot. At 3:30 p.m., the women’s field hockey team will face Elizabethtown College. Wrapping up the day of sports, the men’s soccer team will face rival Johns Hopkins University at 7 p.m. A win will bring the team one step closer to making it to the NCAA Championship for the fourth year in a row.
“I think that having a lot of fans will really pump up the team,” Elyse Tierney ’15 of the women’s soccer team said. “We love playing in front of a crowd, because everything feels more real and intense. I really think our play will reach a whole new level with fans behind us to cheer us on.”
Garnet Weekend will wrap up on Sunday, with various religious gatherings, a three-mile run throughout Swarthmore’s campus, and a fall book sale in the McCabe Library. Last year’s Garnet Weekend attracted over 1,000 visitors.
