The star attraction of UBC's Alumni Day, Sunday, Oct. 1, is the "Respect to Bill Reid" totem pole carved by renowned Haida artist Jim Hart and helpers. It will be raised by hand with ropes outside the Museum of Anthropology's Great Hall at 3 p.m.
Admission to the museum and parking is free for the day and everyone is invited to attend. Welcoming speeches and preparations for the pole raising begin at 2 p.m. A celebration of the raising will be staged at 4 p.m.
Consult the complete guide to Alumni Day in the current (fall) issue of The Chronicle or visit www.alumni.ubc.ca where the guide is posted.
Alumni Day kicks off at 10 a.m. with a welcome by UBC President Martha Piper and Alumni Association President Linda Thorstad in the Leon and Thea Koerner University Centre. Free UBC cinnamon buns and coffee will be available to jump-start the day.
One hour later, in Fredric Wood Theatre, Alumni Day Chair Darlene Marzari will launch Alumni Day and Great Trek Month. Student performances will follow.
The day's activities are centred around Flagpole Plaza from noon- 4 p.m. These include a cheerleading demonstration, baseball clinic and free campus tours. Also featured are displays of the official community plan and demonstrations by Nursing, Applied Science and Agricultural Sciences, including the B.C. Wine Research Centre, Animal Welfare and Botanical Garden.
One of Alumni Day's most popular events for both kids and adults is Children's Place, hosted by the Faculty of Education at Koerner Plaza from noon to 3 p.m. Attractions include a story circle, computer games, clowns and face painting.
A panel discussion on co-op education begins at noon in the Lasserre Building.
The Alumni Lunch will feature Nobel laureate Michael Smith speaking on the Human Genome Project. The cost is $15. Call 604-822-3313 for ticket information.
UBC's Favourite Professors lecture starts at 1 p.m. in the Lasserre Building and includes Pathology Prof. Don Brooks; Dean of Education Rob Tierney leading a panel discussion on the future of education in B.C.; English Prof. Dennis Danielson on "Imagining the Universe"; Anatomy Prof. Chuck Slonecker on "Why People Walk: The anatomical basis for bipedalism"; and David Tarrant on the Botanical Garden.
Parking is free in the Rose Garden Parkade all day.
The "Respect to Bill Reid" totem pole was made possible by a grant from the Canada Council Millennium Arts Fund. It will replace the house-frontal pole carved in 1962 by Reid and Doug Cramner that is now too fragile to be housed outdoors. Following some restorative work, the older pole will eventually be raised in the museum's Great Hall.