Homerathon keeps students awake 24 hours
Emily Thiessen
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
On Halloween night, the members of classics honorary Eta Sigma Phi gathered on the quad for a "Homerathon:" reading the 24 books of "The Odyssey" over a 24-hour period.
Junior MaryBeth Banovetz, Eta Sigma Phi's social chair, said beforehand that she knew the numbers would thin during the early hours of the morning. Most students - about nine - came at the beginning, but more than 20 showed up to hear senior Tom Cox's recitation of the Cyclops narrative.
"We may just be standing outside," Banovetz said Thursday. "We foresee people not showing up. But if it ends up being just Sean [McDermott, Eta Sigma Phi president] and I with four gallons of apple cider, then more for me."
Banovetz said they also planned to walk a mile during each hour-long reading shift. In the end, the entire group banded together to walk during just a few shifts.
The honorary's officers heard the idea at an Eta Sigma Phi national convention, Banovetz said. She and McDermott promoted and ran the event.
The students started at 5 p.m. Friday. The sun sent its last rays over the quad while senior Matthew Taylor read Book Two aloud from a rock in front of Kendall Hall. Some students sat or laid on the grass, and a few ventured into the trees nearby.
The next morning, light rose on just a few students, bleary-eyed but still reading. Since the recitation of each book had only taken about 30 to 45 minutes, they had taken short naps until the top of every hour to keep their energy.
"I've been here all night, and it's been a really good time. The best readers have been doing different voices and acting out parts," said Victoria Harper, a junior classics major.
Juniors Sean McDermott and Victoria Harper braved the entire 24 hours, and junior Lauren Gribble stayed from midnight until 7 a.m. Associate Professor of Classics Joseph Garnjobst participated in reading, while Associate Professor of Classics Gavin Weaire watched from the outskirts of the group during the last book's reading.
Junior MaryBeth Banovetz, Eta Sigma Phi's social chair, said beforehand that she knew the numbers would thin during the early hours of the morning. Most students - about nine - came at the beginning, but more than 20 showed up to hear senior Tom Cox's recitation of the Cyclops narrative.
"We may just be standing outside," Banovetz said Thursday. "We foresee people not showing up. But if it ends up being just Sean [McDermott, Eta Sigma Phi president] and I with four gallons of apple cider, then more for me."
Banovetz said they also planned to walk a mile during each hour-long reading shift. In the end, the entire group banded together to walk during just a few shifts.
The honorary's officers heard the idea at an Eta Sigma Phi national convention, Banovetz said. She and McDermott promoted and ran the event.
The students started at 5 p.m. Friday. The sun sent its last rays over the quad while senior Matthew Taylor read Book Two aloud from a rock in front of Kendall Hall. Some students sat or laid on the grass, and a few ventured into the trees nearby.
The next morning, light rose on just a few students, bleary-eyed but still reading. Since the recitation of each book had only taken about 30 to 45 minutes, they had taken short naps until the top of every hour to keep their energy.
"I've been here all night, and it's been a really good time. The best readers have been doing different voices and acting out parts," said Victoria Harper, a junior classics major.
Juniors Sean McDermott and Victoria Harper braved the entire 24 hours, and junior Lauren Gribble stayed from midnight until 7 a.m. Associate Professor of Classics Joseph Garnjobst participated in reading, while Associate Professor of Classics Gavin Weaire watched from the outskirts of the group during the last book's reading.
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