April approaches!

In my five and a half semesters here on the Hill, I’ve found that April can be one of the most overwhelming months of the school year. But a lot of what makes the month of April such a jam-packed time is stuff that’s actually fun.

One thing I love about early April in particular is that it’s the height of what I excitedly refer to as lecture season. A lot of lectures take place in the three weeks after spring break, and I usually make a point of going to at least two of them. I’ve always gone to the annual Honors Program lecture–this year’s features David Kaiser, a science historian from MIT, who will be presenting “Einstein’s Legacy: Studying Gravity in War and Peace.” And I also plan on going to the Bothe Poetry Reading, another annual lecture that’s sponsored by the English department. Poet and visual artist Eric Pankey will be reading some of his works at the Bothe lecture this year. These lectures are open to the public, so if you live nearby campus, feel free to come to them.

Something that a lot of students look forward to in April is Spring Fling, a Saturday when most McDaniel students congregate on the quad between DMC and ANW (two of our residence halls) and the North Village quad to tie-dye t-shirts, listen to live music, and play on giant inflatables, all while running around and having a carefree time. Last year, I spent my Spring Fling taking tie-dyeing a pair of old jeans (with moderate success) and taking pictures of campus.

See that girl in the blue plaid shirt bending down? That just so happens to be me.
(Photo: http://mcdaniel.orgsync.com/org/greenterrors/Events_and_News)

McDaniel students interested in good causes and getting involved with the local community can find plenty to do in April. On Saturday April 5, McDaniel students, including me, will volunteer as part of the annual Westminster Cleanup, where people go out and clean up various parts of Westminster that need a little TLC. I’ve never participated in this before, but it should be fun.

Another charitable opportunity in Westminster is Walk A Mile in Her Shoes, an event during which men and women parade around in high heels to stand against sexual violence. This year’s Walk A Mile is April 12, and I’m thinking about participating.

These are some of the many things happening on campus this April. Student groups also tend to put on a lot of events, and friends like to do what they can to cram in as much fun as feasibly possible before finals week and a summer apart. To get a better sense of what else goes on in April or any other time of the year on the Hill, check out the McDaniel calendar.