Editor and Chief
This past week, Roanoke College was taken over with the theme of HBO as the Honors Program celebrated their annual Honor’s Conference Week.
The week’s theme, which was chosen by Committee Chairperson Carmella Parker ’12 and Honors Program President Kayla Klingensmith ’12, was based upon the popular television station and different shows associated with it. Each day was assigned a different show with the festivities for that day based off of that show.
Monday’s show was Band of Brothers and the speaker was World War II veteran John Kessler, a Roanoke, Virginia native.
Tuesday night, the group put on a panel discussion with Counseling Center Director, Dr. J.R. Cox, and other Honors Program students. The panel was titled “Anxiety & Depression in College Students”. The day was based off of the t.v. show In Treatment.
Wednesday night the program brought in their biggest speaker, planet walker, John Francis. Francis went 22 years without using any means of transportation other than walking, and even earned his master’s and doctorate degree with on a 17 year vow of silence. Francis’s speech, as well as the rest of the day’s festivities, were based off of the show Gasland.
Thursday night, the Honor’s program decided to take a turn for the risqué as they took on the theme of Sex and the City. The day was capped off with a round of speed dating in the Colket Center.
The final day of the week is based off of the show Flight of the Concords and is a way to help the honors program members and everyone else on RC’s campus show off their vast array’s of talent as the group hosts a campus-wide talent show in the Colket Center ballroom.
The week serves a multitude of purposes for both the Honors Program and the RC community.
One of the original reasons for the special week each year was so that members of the Honors Program could fulfill their Plenary Enrichment Program requirements. PEP requires each member of Honors to attend two speaking events per semester. The week helped them to get those engagements done early.
Another reason for the special week is to help provide the college with a fun way to join together and learn.
“The main purpose to bring the college community together,” Parker said.
