Construction on the tent has been underway for the past week. The tent will house the Gala on Saturday night and then will be deconstructed over the following week.
Kerong Kelly
Writer
This year’s Homecoming campaign, scheduled for this weekend, is the largest effort the University has seen it its 161 year history. The goal is to raise half a billion dollars. To celebrate its most generous donors, the University will be hosting a gala tomorrow night, held in a tent that spans the entire width and length of the Academic Quad. The following day, there will be a BBQ for the faculty, staff and their families to show the University’s appreciation for their service to the school.
The tent measures approximately 275 feet long by 85 feet wide, over half an acre in area. It will take approximately one week to set up and one week to disassemble. As for the effect it will have on student transportation across the quad, the delays are minimal. Some students showed their displeasure with its location.
“I think the tent takes away from the fall foliage. The most beautiful views are from the academic quad,” Morgan Slade ’13 said.
Other events that are going to be held during Homecoming weekend include Corey Harris and Vertical Horizons concerts tonight and a conversation with Jim Cramer and Walter Isaacson tomorrow morning. Though the tent’s function is visible, some believe its placement is not completely practical.
“I don’t understand the location. I think a better location would have been the Sojka Pavillion,” Brandon Dellafave ’16 said.
The University would not release the total cost of the tent.