It’s hard to believe that after months of planning the time has finally come. The T-shirts are rolled, the van is ready, and hundreds of alumni, current and
prospective students, parents and friends are waiting anxiously across the country for the arrival of the crew. Tonight is the kick-off right here in Wittenberg’s home town of Springfield, Ohio! I’m so excited that I woke up every hour last night hoping it was time to get up; let’s pray this doesn’t happen for every event or insomnia will probably kick in around Minneapolis. Well, this is my and Ben’s first time in the “field” so we are pretty much considered the “rookies” on the crew. I can just see the rest of the crew sitting in their offices now crossing their fingers in hopes that they picked the right “kids” for the job. We were talking about it last night, and we’re pretty fast learners, so I’m going to consider us professionals after this event. Our professor Pam Schindler has been preparing us for years to walk among those in the real world, so I’ll say with confidence that we are ready. I can just picture us now (everything is in slow motion to add effect) driving down the road, windows down, hair blowing in the air, I’m bad to the bone playing on the iPod, Ben and I giving each other a Witt-high-five… wait Ben? Shoot! Okay, just kidding I promise I won’t leave Ben behind at any stop…
On a more serious note, tonight is going to be an exciting kick off to the tour. We have Wittenberg’s very talented faculty band, WittFree, playing great music the entire evening, good food, drinks and lots of guests signed up to attend! It’s going to be a fun night so come out and join if you’re in town!
alumni around the world. We have been linked to Eurpoe through the Young Alumni Travel Program and to the service trip in Lesotho, so we have been dabbling with Witt InterNATIONal. Recently, via email we learned of a young alumnus who wanted to give to the Witt Fund (annual fund) from somewhere in Afghanistan. Of course an on-line gift was possible and the next day there it was...the gift. Since that day, the crew has corresponded with him via email. What we have encountered is 'the gift' was just the catalyst to connect us to a type of service we aren't exposed to daily on-campus. Wittenberg breeds service and giving back to the community...right now, many of our alumni are giving back to our country. Witt Nation honors all alumni engaging in service, all types, a core value of a Wittenberg education. However, today, June 14-Flag Day, we honor those that served or are serving in the military.
Here we go...LIVE. It's time to register for Witt Nation 2009 events!
As we continue to finalize the details for the road, we run into small decisions that the team collaborates on and easily resolves. One detail that continues to spark a flare in all of our hearts is the music selection. As I sit here listening to my Taylor Swift Radio station on Pandora, I believe she is a clear front runner on the playlist. Some of my fellow roadies disagree. Ben is more of the free spirit who’s into these bands that for the most part I have never heard of. I think if he’s bringing these tunes, I’m definitely bringing my little brother's demo CD. It’s only fair. We also have Linda who really, really, wants Sailing by Christopher Cross to be this year’s theme song… no comment. Then, we have to remember that we have faculty joining us on this year’s trip. I definitely see their selection being more “classic” with favorites like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and maybe even some with a secret love for Ozzy Osborn or Britney Spears. The preferences go on and on and differ from each crew member, some obviously having better taste than others.
As we start to pack up the van we wanted to highlight all of the donated items from groups on campus. We have lots of different organizations represented including: sports teams, fraternities and sororities, Student Senate, Union Board, Lesotho, and several more! A special thanks goes out to all the groups who submitted a roadtrip item. We surely have an assortment of activities offered at Wittenberg. We will be sure to have them all displayed prominently in the van at some point during the tour!
It’s the last Friday in May and we’re getting things squared away to hit the road next month. As you might have noticed, we’ve been populating the stops page with a lot of new information. Online event registration will begin next week, so make sure to check back in and get signed up. We’ve confirmed that 24 faculty members will be traveling to various cities this summer. We will be posting the locations that each professor will be attending on the stops page next week and more than likely we'll have some blog posts explaining more about the activities at each stop. This is going to be a great summer and we’re looking forward to having you be part of it!
Greetings Witt Nation! As one of the newest roadies I thought I’d give you a quick update on what Ashley (the other rookie) and I have been up to in the past few weeks. Commencement was Saturday and it was great to see friends and family! At the same time, it was sad to see everyone leave. Ashley and I have been very busy planning and promoting Witt Nation ’09 and we are really eager to get the tour started. We cannot wait to meet the hundreds of alumni around the country!
Hey Witt Nation! In less than 24 hours I will be traveling to Lesotho with 30 plus Witt students, don't worry I am not even close to finishing packing! Also in a few days Ashley Petersen will be traveling with several '09 grads across Europe! We will be taking you along for the ride as we experience new cultures, adventures, and have some fun! Check back often and stay updated on what we will be doing: from service projects and safari's in Lesotho to espressos and beaches in Europe. I am sure the stories will be endless!
