Activities - NJCL Convention - 2002 - Daily Highlights - Thursday, August 1

Mornings seem to come earlier and earlier during convention, but for the women housed in Kirwan Tower, it came about 4 a.m., as a fire alarm emptied the building for about an hour. They were able to reenter the building after about an hour, some after resuming their slumber relatively uninterrupted on the lawns outside the building.

For the rest of the attendees, the scheduled activities actually began with Olympika Track and Field events, the second round of Competitive Certamen, and Sight Latin rounding out the morning events. Ludi Ultimate Frisbee was unfortunately cancelled due to the "boil water" advisory and the concern of dehydration of the participants. Sufficient water was available to accommodate the Olympika participants, and by the time of Ludi Volleyball this afternoon, the advisory had been lifted.

The mechanics of the NJCL was one major focus of the days events as the Constitutional Amendments Committee meeting was held to discuss a proposed amendment to the constitution stating that a candidate for national office must be enrolled in a Latin or classics course in the year of his term OR have taken all of the classics courses offered by his or her school. The amendment was passed as the question came to a vote later in the week. Additionally, officer candidates held their luncheon in the Kirwan-Blanding Commons as an opportunity to mingle a bit before presenting their speeches to the convention attendees at the evening's general assembly.

The second half of the day was no less busy that the first, with the Costume Contest and the Impromptu Art contest rounding out the afternoon. Impromptu Art, now in its third year, continues to be a quite popular contest. Materials used this year include popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, and photocopies of the letters E-Q-U-U-S.

The only assembly of the day was held in the evening, with the primary focus being the candidate speeches. Candidates this year were:

• President: Steven Haag, OH & Michelle Wu, IL
• 1st Vice-President: Judson Clark, TX & Lauren Cooper, CO
• 2nd Vice-President: Mike Kelly, TN & Will Snider, DC
• Secretary: no candidates
• Parliamentarian: Michael Love, VA & Courtney Wang, GA
• Historian: Nelly Chan, ND
• Editor: Monique Maes, KS

The assembly also provided an opportunity for Denny Bartlow, NJCL Committee Emeritus, to present a moving tribute to long time convention attendee, Sr. Jeanette Plante. Sr. Plante, a former National Committee Member and for a long time running the only delegate from New Hampshire, was tragically struck by a car and killed during this past year.

With the official business of the day behind them, many delegates headed to Haggin Field for yet another dance - this one themed, Luck Be a Lady. The more vocal (or is that vociferous?) attendees opted instead to attend Karaoke night in the cafeteria. And lest neither of those choices appeal to the delegates, there was always the option to participate in the Classical Art contest back in the Singletary Center.

Convention Ear, Thursday, August 1, 2002 (requires Adobe Acrobat)