Alumni Weekend 2009 Facts
Join us!
ALUMNI WEEKEND 2009
May 15-18
We hope you'll join us for this wonderful chance to spend time with OLD FRIENDS and engage with NEW IDEAS. Welcome back to the University of Pennsylvania.
In this second year of Making History: The Campaign for Penn, come feel the energy abounding throughout campus.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WHEN
Alumni Weekend starts on Friday afternoon with a variety of educational programs for returning alumni. The social kickoff to the weekend is the culmination of the reunion parties on campus, starting in the afternoon throughout the evening, that provide classmates the chance to visit with former roommates, teammates, study partners, etc.
Saturday morning's educational programs continue to provide alumni with lectures
and panels to engage in learning. "A Conversation with President Amy Gutmann" starting
at 10:30 a.m. is always a focal point for returning alumni. Following Dr. Gutmann
at 11:15 a.m., alumni line up for the Parade (note new time slot), led by Dr.
Gutmann, the Penn Band and the Glee Club. The Parade is open for all to participate
and highlights the Old Guard, Milestone reunions (25th and 50th), Classes and
class giving — including floats to represent the reunion classes built
by our outstanding College House Alumni Ambassadors. The Parade is scheduled
to commence at noon and will lead the classes to their various picnic tents.
Round out the Picnic at 3:30 with a bout of song. Join the Penn Band and Glee
Club along with your fellow alumni for rousing renditions of Drink
a Highball, The Red and Blue, and more Penn favorites.
The afternoon winds down with low-key ways to reconnect with campus, and if you have young children, take them to QuakerKids. In the evening, the flagship Diversity Alliance event, Taste of Penn, will provide everyone the chance to reconnect with Penn friends across class years, affinities and generations.
REGISTRATION AND NAME TAGS
Registration for Alumni Weekend begins March 1st with two ways to register: the reply card in the invitation or through your class reunion website.
In the meantime, please make sure you are part of QuakerNet, Penn's Alumni Online Community. If you have not done so, register at www.alumniconnections.com/penn. Log in to find information about your former freshman hall mates and senior classmates so that you may reach out to them.
When arriving on campus, we suggest that you arrive early on Friday to avoid long lines. Registration for Alumni Weekend is centralized on College Green. Please check in at the Registration Tent (look for the balloon labeled "Registration") to get all the materials you and your guests will need to enter your class parties, educational programs and all-alumni events.
ACCOMMODATIONS
During Alumni Weekend hotels often sell out and are always more expensive than any other time during the year. If you have not made hotel accommodations, start now. We have a limited number of rooms in a block at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 12th and Market Streets.
NOTE: Your class may have made its own hotel arrangements — see the "Hotels" tab on your class's reunion website for more info.
To find less expensive accommodations, consider staying a little further from campus. Center City, especially areas like Society Hill and Washington Square West, is a great location due to its proximity to Independence Mall, South Street and other cultural venues. Taxicabs between Center City and campus run, on average, ten dollars. Other alumni choose to stay closer to the airport and use rental car to get around the city.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
A variety of fun activities for children will be offered on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Penn Children's Center, a licensed child care facility located at 32nd and Chestnut Streets. You can drop your child off anytime Friday and Saturday between 6 pm and 12 midnight; the cost for childcare is $25 per hour for the first child, $10 per hour per child for additional children. A tentative schedule appears below. Due to the necessity of maintaining state-required staff/child ratios, it is imperative that parents pre-register for childcare. You can register for childcare when you register for Alumni Weekend, and an information packet will be sent to you in advance. If you need childcare before 6 pm or after 12 midnight, contact Lynn Carroll at lynnc@upenn.edu for further information.
6:00-6:30 pm | Arrival and Greeting
6:30-7:00 pm | Dinner (provided)
7:00-8:00 pm | Playground/Games
8:00-8:30 pm | Art and Crafts
8:30-9:00 pm | Puppet Show
9:00-9:30 pm | Make your own sundae!
9:30-10:00 pm | Gym Time/Games
10:00-12:00 midnight | Movie/Quiet time
If you need more information about childcare in order to help you make your decision about coming to the weekend, contact Lynn Carroll at lynnc@upenn.edu.
INVITATIONS AND THE ALUMNI WEEKEND GUIDE
Invitations are mailed in early March and should be in your mailbox no later than the third week of March. If you have not received your invitation by then, please call Alumni Relations (215.898.7811) to verify your correct address and request another invitation.
The Alumni Weekend Guide will be included in the March/April issue of The Gazette. The Guide contains the myriad of activities you can attend throughout the weekend that are open to all alumni.
For more information about the variety of things to do, places to stay, and restaurants to enjoy in the great city of Philadelphia, check out:
• www.gophila.com (Official Visitor Site for Greater Philadelphia)
• www.pcvb.org (Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau)
• www.phila.gov/visitors (City of Philadelphia Visitors Guide)
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