April 15, 2009

Purdue's Grand Alternative to offer substance-free events

Many campus organizations, offices and departments will be taking part in this year's Grand Alternative, which will feature a wide range of events, including games, concerts, movies, sports events, fundraisers, parties and dances.

The 2009 Grand Alternative is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, Wesley Foundation, Student Wellness Office and the Division of Recreational Sports, along with a 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 an up-to-date and complete list of activities and sponsors.

- Sunday (April 19). All day. Golf Boilermaker Invitational. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

- Sunday (April 19). 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grand Alternative Campus Clean Up. Meet in Schleman Hall lobby.

- Sunday (April 19). 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 5K Run/Walk. Vawter Field. Sponsored by College Mentors for Kids.

- Sunday (April 19). Noon. World's Strongest Boilermaker. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the RSC.

- Sunday (April 19). Noon. Baseball vs. Ohio State. Lambert Field. Cost is $2 for students, $5 for the general public.

- Sunday (April 19). Noon. Women's tennis vs. Minnesota. Schwartz Tennis Center.

- Sunday (April 19). 1-2 p.m. Capture the Flag game. Intramural Fields, Black 15 and 18. Sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers.

- Sunday (April 19). 2 p.m. Softball vs. Northwestern. Varsity Softball Complex. Cost is $2 for students, $5 for the general public.

- Sunday (April 19). 4:30 p.m. Wesley Praise Service and Cookout. Wesley Foundation, 435 State St. Sponsored by the foundation.

- Sunday (April 19). 5-10 p.m. Grand Alternative Concert featuring Augustana, Wale and Colin Munroe. Slayter Hill. In case of rain, the concert will take place in Elliott Hall of Music. Not open to the public. Sponsored by Purdue Student Government.

- Sunday (April 19). 7 p.m. Rock Band Tournament. Purdue Memorial Union. Sponsored by Phi Sigma Pi.

- Monday (April 20). 5-10 p.m. Annual Trike Relay Race. South end of the Memorial Mall. Sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega.

- Monday (April 20). 7:30-11:30 p.m. Graffiti with Lights. Stewart Center, Room 310. Sponsored by the Queer Student Union.

- Tuesday (April 21). 1-4 p.m. Global Village. Memorial Mall. Sponsored by AIESEC Purdue. In case of rain, the event will be cancelled.

- Tuesday (April 21). 3 p.m. Softball vs. Valparaiso. Varsity Softball Complex. Cost is $2 for students, $5 for the general public.

- Wednesday (April 22). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. International Medicine Fundraising Cookout. Centennial Mall. Sponsored by Raising Awareness of International Medicine.

- Wednesday (April 22). 4 p.m. Baseball vs. Butler. Lambert Field. Cost is $2 for students, $5 for the general public.

- Wednesday (April 22). 6-10 p.m. Diversity Roundtable Discussion. Pfendler Hall, Room 241. Sponsored by DRIVEN.

- Wednesday (April 22). 7-11 p.m. Keggeroke. St. Thomas Aquinas, Newman Hall. Sponsored by Purdue Catholic Students.

- Wednesday (April 22). 10 p.m. Wednesday to 2 a.m. Thursday. Moonlight Pancake Breakfast, Agriculture Administration Building front lawn. Sponsored by the Agriculture Council.

- Thursday (April 23). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. International Medicine Fundraising Cookout. Centennial Mall. Sponsored by Raising Awareness of International Medicine.

- Thursday (April 23). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorsports on the Mall. Purdue Mall. Sponsored by the Purdue Motorsports Association.

- Thursday (April 23). 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. aKDPhi Root Beer Give Away. Memorial Mall. Sponsored by Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority Inc.

- Thursday (April 23). 8 p.m. That's Hott Performance Show. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Sponsored by Delta Pi Rho.

- Thursday (April 23). 8 p.m. Thirsty for Knowledge Thursday. Chemistry Resource Room. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society.

- Thursday (April 23). 8-11 p.m. Mini Grand Prix Race and Party. Owen Hall front lawn. Sponsored by the Owen Hall Hussar Club.

- Friday (April 24). All day. Women's golf: Big Ten Championships. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

- Friday (April 24). 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Cary Con. Cary Quadrangle South Basement. Sponsored by the Cary Club.

- Friday (April 24). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chinese Calligraphy. Purdue Memorial Union. Sponsored by the Chinese Calligraphy Club.

- Friday (April 24). 1-8 p.m. Boilermaker Block Party. Hillenbrand Lawn. Sponsored by the Phoenix Club.

- Friday (April 24). 1-8 p.m. DJ Showcase. Slayter Center. Sponsored by the Beat Society.

- Friday (April 24). 4-8 p.m. Windsor's Grand Alternative Carnival: Welcome to the Jungle. Windsor Main Circle. Sponsored by the Windsor Residence Halls Club.

- Friday (April 24). 5-9 p.m. Greek IV Picnic. Pickett Field. Sponsored by the Greek InterVarsity.

- Friday (April 24). 7:30-9 p.m. Graffiti with Lights. Stewart Center, Room 214AB. Sponsored by the Queer Student Union.

- Friday (April 24). 7:30 p.m. Battle Zone. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Sponsored by the Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority Inc.

- Friday (April 24). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. Studio H. Ross-Ade Pavilion, Shively Club. Sponsored by Radio Station of Harrison Hall. Cost is $5.

- Friday (April 24). 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. Battle of the Bands. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Purdue Student Union Board.

- Saturday (April 25). All day. Women's Golf: Big Ten Championships. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

- Saturday (April 25). 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Grand Prix Race. Grand Prix Track at Cherry Lane and McCormick Road. Sponsored by the Grand Prix Foundation.

- Saturday (April 25). Noon to 5 p.m. Unity BBQ. Vawter Field. Sponsored by the Black Student Union and the Black President's Forum.

- Saturday (April 25). 6-8 p.m. Open Mic Night. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Sponsored by the Multicultural Society for Excellence.

- Saturday (April 25). 7 p.m. The Original Root Beer Kegger. Christian Student Center, 115 Waldron. Sponsored by the center.

- Saturday (April 25). 8:30 p.m. to midnight. Free bowling and billiards. Purdue Memorial Union Rack and Roll Bowling Alley. Sponsored by the Tourism Association.

- Saturday (April 25). 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. Rootbeer Riot! Stewart Cooperative House, 800 Northwestern Ave. Sponsored by the cooperative house.

- Saturday (April 25). 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. DecadeZ Costume Party. Recreational Sports Center, South Gym. Sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

- Sunday (April 26). All day. Women's Golf: Big Ten Championships. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

- Sunday (April 26). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grand Prix Duathlon. Recreational Sports Center. Sponsored by the Triathlon Club.

- Sunday (April 26). 3-8 p.m. Harrison Hall Luau. Harrison Hall front lawn. Sponsored by the Harrison Hall Cavalier Club.

For more information about Grand Alternative events, visit https://www.getinvolved.purdue.edu/Community?action=getOrgHome&orgID=877

Writer: Christy Jones, 765-494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Carol E. Ben-Davies, assistant dean of students, 765-494-9028, cbd@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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