Purdue's Grand Alternative to offer substance-free entertainment
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Numerous substance-free activities will be offered through April 25 for Purdue students as part of the annual Grand Prix celebrations.
Many campus organizations, offices and departments will participate in this year's Grand Alternative, which will feature a wide range of events such as games, concerts, movies, sports, fundraisers, parties and dances.
Grand Alternative is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, the Wesley Foundation, the Student Wellness Office and the Division of Recreational Sports and by a $10,000 grant from the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County.
The Grand Alternative was conceived in 1998 when Steve Cain, a campus minister at the Wesley Foundation, initiated a communitywide coalition of student groups with the goal of celebrating the Grand Prix safely and without alcohol. Grand Alternative got its official start in 1999 with a grant from the Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Tippecanoe County.
All Grand Alternative events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. The following is a list of activities and sponsors.
- Saturday (April 17). Noon to 4 p.m. Faith Works Fellowship Day. Intramural Gold Fields. Sponsored by Boiler Christian Fellowship.
- Saturday (April 17). Noon to 4:30 p.m. World's Strongest Boilermaker. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by Division of Recreational Sports.
- Sunday (April 18). Noon to 4:30 p.m. Boilermaker Special Pull. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by Division of Recreational Sports.
- Sunday (April 18). 1 p.m. Inaugural Electric Vehicle Grand Prix. Grand Prix Track at the corner of McCormick and Cherry Lane, one mile north of campus. Sponsored by EPICS.
- Sunday (April 18). 4:30 p.m. Grand Alternative Kick-off Party. Wesley Foundation at Purdue, across State Road 26 from Purdue Memorial Union. Sponsored by the Wesley Foundation at Purdue University.
- Sunday (April 18). 5 p.m. Grand Alternative and Haiti Relief Concert featuring Hollywood Holt, Antennas Up, and Girl Talk. Slayter Hill. Sponsored by Purdue Student Government.
- Sunday (April 18). 6-9 p.m. C.A.R.E. Week Bowling Tournament. Union Rack n' Roll. Sponsored Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity.
- Monday (April 19). 6-10 p.m. Army ROTC XBOX competition. Purdue Armory. Sponsored Army ROTC.
- Tuesday (April 20). 5-9 p.m. Cookout on the Engineering Mall. Purdue Engineering Mall North and South. Sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Omega Chi Epsilon and Chemical Engineering Student Advisory Council.
- Tuesday (April 20). 6-10 p.m. Fittest Boiler Competition. Purdue Armory. Sponsored by Army ROTC.
- Tuesday (April 20). 7-10 p.m. Cary Fest Inflatables Night. Cary Quad. Sponsored by Cary Club.
-Wednesday (April 21). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Calligraphy Demonstration. Purdue Memorial Union. Sponsored by the Chinese Calligraphy Club.
- Wednesday (April 21). 5:30-8 p.m. Greek Intervarsity Picnic. Pickett Park. Sponsored by the Greek Intervarsity.
- Wednesday (April 21). 6 p.m. Air it Out, Diversity Roundtable. Pfendler Building, Room 24. Sponsored by DRIVEN.
- Wednesday (April 21). 6- 8 p.m. Impromptu Design Competition. Mechanical Engineering Building, Room 263. Sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
- Wednesday (April 21). 6-10 p.m. Rappelling/Rock Climbing. Purdue Armory. Sponsored by the Army ROTC.
- Wednesday (April 21). 6-10 p.m. That’s Hott Talent Show. Matthews Building, Room 210. Sponsored by Delta Pi Rho.
- Wednesday (April 21). 8-10 p.m. Poverty Awareness Seminar. Electrical Engineering Building, Room 129. Sponsored by Habitat for Humanity.
- Wednesday (April 21). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Moonlight Pancake Breakfast. Agriculture Administration Lawn. Sponsored by the Agricultural Council.
- Thursday (April 22). 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Raising AIM Spring Cookout. In front of the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. Sponsored by Awareness of International Medicine.
- Thursday (April 22). 4-8 p.m. The Grand Luau. Vawter Field. Sponsored by the Caliber of Purdue University.
- Thursday (April 22). 6-10 p.m. ROTC Shooting Competition. Armory. Sponsored by the Army ROTC.
- Thursday (April 22). 7 p.m. Days of Chaos: We Step as One, We Move as One. Loeb Theater. Sponsored by the National Panhellenic Council. Cost is $7 in advance, $10 at the door.
- Thursday (April 22). 7-10 p.m. Animal Extravaganza! Hosting animals from Columbia Park Zoo. 7-10 p.m. Owen Residence Hall, activity room. Sponsored by the Boiler Volunteer Network.
- Thursday (April 22). 7-9 p.m. Thirsty for Knowledge Thursday. Wetherill Building, Room 117. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society.
- Thursday (April 22). 7-11 p.m. Kegaroake: Music, Rootbeer, and Fellowship. St. Thomas Aquinas Center, Newman Hall. Sponsored by Purdue Catholic Students.
- Thursday (April 22). 7-10 p.m. Rock the Quad. Cary Quad, north parking lot. Sponsored by the Cary Club/WCCR.
- Thursday (April 22). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Parking Lot Luau@Fairway. Fairway Co-op House at 1320 David Ross Road, West Lafayette. Sponsored by the Purdue Cooperative Council.
- Friday (April 23). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grand Prix Tailgate. Grand Prix Track. Sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers.
- Friday (April 23). 11 a.m. Global Village. Memorial Mall. Sponsored by AIESEC.
- Friday (April 23). 4-8 p.m. Windsor Grand Alternative Carnival. Sponsored by the Windsor Residence Hall Club.
- Friday (April 23). 8 p.m. to midnight. Lawson Party. Lawson basement. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery.
- Friday (April 23). 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Russell Bustle and Luau. 24 N. Russell St. Sponsored by the Christian Student Fellowship.
- Friday (April 23). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Slayter Block Party. Slayter Hill. Sponsored by Tarkington Hall.
- Friday (April 23). 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Grand Alternative Carnival Night. Special events include Battle of the Bands, S.K.A.T.E., a flat land trick competition, free food, funnel cakes, inflatables, caricature artist, Midway Games, and crafts. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Purdue Division of Recreational Sports and Purdue Student Union Board.
- Saturday (April 24). 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Purdue Road Race and Criterium. East Tipp Middle School. Sponsored by the Purdue Cycling Club.
- Saturday (April 24). 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Grand Prix Race. Grand Prix Track at Cherry Lane and McCormick Road. Sponsored by the Grand Prix Foundation.
- Saturday (April 24). Noon to 4 p.m. Unity BBQ. Squirrel Park. Sponsored by Black Student Union.
- Saturday (April 24). 7 p.m. The Original Rootbeer Kegger. 115 Waldron Street, West Lafayette. Sponsored by the Purdue Christian Student Center.
- Saturday (April 24). 9:30 -11:30 p.m. Grand Alternative Comedy Show hosting the Crazy Monkeys and Big Dog Eat Child. Matthews Building, Room 210. Sponsored by the Cult Movie Club.
- Saturday (April 24). 7 p.m. to midnight. Free Extreme Bowling and Billiards for all Purdue students. Union Rack n’ Roll. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students and Purdue Student Union Board.
- Sunday (April 25). 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Purdue Road Race and Criterium. Ross-Ade Stadium. Sponsored by the Purdue Cycling Club.
- Sunday (April 25). 8 a.m. to noon. Boiler Sprint Duathlon and Triathlon. Purdue Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Purdue Triathlon Club.
- Sunday (April 25). 4-6 p.m. Gospel Fest. Rawls Hall, Room 1086. Sponsored by the Lafayette Mission.
For more information about Grand Alternative events, visit https://www.getinvolved.purdue.edu/
Writer: Soumitro Sen, 765-496-9711, ssen@purdue.edu
Sources: Carol E. Ben-Davies, assistant dean of students, 765-494-9028, cbd@purdue.edu