- Christmas on Campus
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This is the cover of the Christmas on Campus brochure used in 1988, as designed by Katie Schlegel, public relations chair, class of 1990.
Christmas on Campus is an annual event at the University of Dayton in which children are invited to campus to celebrate the Christmas holiday. It has become one of the nation's largest single-day, on-campus community service events.[1] University students "adopt" area children and treat them to seasonal shows, displays and food. The event is held on December 8 each year, the same day as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is one of the largest events hosted by the University of Dayton, and has a student organization devoted to preparing and running the event.[2] It is considered by some to be an integral part of the campus' spirit.[3]
Contents
History
The roots of Christmas on Campus can be traced to 1962, when an event called Operation Joy was held in which 60 children between the ages of 4 and 12 were brought to campus as part of a Christmas party hosted by the senior class. In 1963, the first event referred to as Christmas on Campus was held. However, it was meant as a celebration for students before the beginning of Christmas break, and did not include inviting children. These two events were combined in 1966, when children were invited to attend Christmas on Campus. There were 275 children at the 1966 inauguration of the event in its current form. [4]
On Jan. 16, 2009, the founder of Christmas on Campus, Eleanor "Ellie" Ann Kurtz, died at age 82. Kurtz ran the event every year until 1994, and missed it only twice, including in 2008, due to poor health. [5]
Current event
Work on the event is divided into 10 committees, each with different duties to prepare for all aspects of the event.[6] These committees, and their responsibilities, are:
- Adoptions Committee — Bringing children to the event; pairing children with adopted students
- Carnival Committee — Coordinating other student organizations to run events as part of Christmas on Campus
- Decorations Committee — Producing and placing ornamentation on campus
- Entertainment Committee — Hiring and coordinating professional acts
- Mass Committee — Coordinating and preparing the UD chapel for mass
- Plaza/Outdoor Decorations Committee — Selecting and decorating a large Christmas tree
- Publicity Committee — Spreading the word about the event and planning kick-off day, held 30 days before the event
- Transportation Committee — Monitoring children during travel to and from campus; uniting children with their adoptive students
- Community Outreach Committee — Raising money and planning events for the other committees
- Hospitality Committee — Coordinating invitations, thank-you letters, and donations; producing and selling Christmas on Campus T-shirts
Christmas off Campus
Christmas off Campus is an alumni event created as an extension of the original Christmas on Campus. In 1990, through the work of Brian and Renai Lowry, the first Christmas off Campus was held by the University of Dayton's St. Louis alumni chapter. The event has now spread to many other chapters of the UD Alumni Association.
Many of the Christmas off Campus events emulate the experience of Christmas on Campus for the children involved. They also raise money for a variety of community organizations, such as the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Covenant House, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Because of this work, Woman's Day magazine included Christmas off Campus as one of “31 fun activities to keep kids busy over the holidays” in 2004. [7]
References
- ^ Dayton Daily News. "UD to mark 40th year of Christmas on Campus." November 27, 2003.
- ^ Christmas on Campus website. http://www.udayton.edu/studev/studentlifeandku/coc/ Accessed December 2, 2009.
- ^ U.S. News & World Report website. "University of Dayton." http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3127.
- ^ Miller, Nikki. "Alumnus recalls first kids at COC." Flyer News. Volume 54, Issue 14. November 7, 2006.
- ^ Dayton Daily News. "Founder of UD's Christmas on Campus dies." January 21, 2009. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/01/21/ddn012109kurtzobitweb.html
- ^ Christmas on Campus website. http://campus.udayton.edu/~coc/descriptions.htm Accessed September 6, 2007.
- ^ Caggiano, Lauren. "UD alumni hold annual 'Christmas off Campus.'" Flyer News. Volume 53, Issue 13. November 22, 2005.
External links
- [1] "Founder of UD's Christmas on Campus dies" Dayton Daily News
- Christmas on Campus Web site
- 1989 New York Times Article on Christmas on Campus
- [2]"University of Dayton alumni give to children" Fort Wayne, Indiana Journal Gazette
- [3] Associated New American Colleges at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation 2002 Bulletin
The University of Dayton Athletics 
Facilities The Ghetto • Thomas J. Frericks Center • Time Warner Cable Stadium • University of Dayton Arena • Welcome StadiumOrganizations Programs Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop • International Marian Research Institute • Research Institute • School of Law • TRENDCategories:- 1962 establishments
- University of Dayton
- Culture of Dayton, Ohio
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