Campus neighbors invited to enjoy Community Day celebration this Sunday

By Michael Peña

The university will come together on Sunday, April 15, for Community Day, an all-day open house when neighbors are invited onto campus to enjoy a wide array of free, family-oriented activities—from Stanford athletes kicking the ball around with kids to an art festival featuring live music and food to faculty lectures in the classroom.

The festivities kick off at 10 a.m., with many activities happening around the Main Quad. Buses also will be available to take visitors to the Cantor Arts Center, the Red Barn and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, which will offer guided tours. This will be the university's fifth Community Day, and it will feature many new attractions as well as some traditional ones.

All are welcome to attend University Public Worship at 10 a.m. in Memorial Church, where the Rev. Scotty McLennan—dean of the Office for Religious Life—will lead a multifaith service. The Founders' Celebration, which honors the Stanford family with a procession from Serra Mall at the Oval to the Mausoleum, follows with a wreath-laying ceremony and student speeches. The procession begins at 11 a.m.

Joining Community Day this year is the Student Organizing Committee for the Arts, which annually puts on "An Art Affair." The extravaganza once again will be held in White Plaza and feature more than 100 performances on three stages and some 350 pieces of visual art. Taking center stage this year will be master taiko drummer Kenny Endo, who will perform at 3:30 p.m., courtesy of Stanford Lively Arts.

Preceding the free community concert, a drum line will depart from the Oval at 2:30 p.m., wind through campus and end at White Plaza.

Visitors also will be able to choose from among a few activities occurring simultaneously. For example, at 2 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium, the Aurora Forum will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's speech "The Other America"—delivered at Stanford on April 14, 1967—with a film screening of that address and a dialogue with the audience afterward.

Meanwhile, over at the Arrillaga Alumni Center, a panel discussion featuring a cross-section of members from the Stanford and Palo Alto communities is scheduled for 2 p.m. Titled "Palo Alto and Stanford: Climate Change in Our Backyard," the panelists will discuss ways to team up on environmental issues such as traffic, energy efficiency and sustainability.

"My hope is that this day will continue to underline our commitment to working closely with our neighbors," said President John Hennessy. "It also allows us to share information about some of our wonderful community-related programs—many of which are not well known to our friends in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and the surrounding communities."

Another Community Day tradition is faculty lectures. Among this year's speakers will be Professor Richard Myers, chair of the Department of Genetics in the School of Medicine, who will discuss the sequencing of the human genome. Channing Robertson, professor of chemical engineering, will talk about new developments at Stanford in various scientific fields, such as biotechnology and robotics.

In addition, more than a dozen groups will take part in a science fair that will fill the Science and Engineering Quad. There also will be a children's area and cultural exhibits flanking the north and south sides of the Main Quad, respectively, as well as a health fair at the top of the Oval. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from several campus cafes around the area and from outdoor stations staffed by Stanford Dining.

Community Day is made possible through the efforts of Stanford Events, the Office of Public Affairs and student and staff volunteers throughout the university. For information about parking or biking to the event, access for the disabled, as well as a full schedule, visit http://communityday.stanford.edu/. (In case of rain, the website also will have updates such as changes of venue.)

The day's activities end at 4 p.m.

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