Get your Purple on and Welcome Al Roker
Put on your best University of Scranton purple shirt and join students, faculty and staff for a Royal Welcome for Al Roker of NBC’s Today on Friday, Oct. 26. Mr. Roker will broadcast live from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. near the Office Convention Main Stage, which will be constructed in front of St. Thomas Hall on campus. During the broadcast, Mr. Roker will interview cast members from "The Office." The Royal Welcome is a University event, which serves as a preview to Scranton’s Office Convention (Oct. 26 -28).
Planned by Student Government, the Student Programming Board and the Student Activities Office, the Royal Welcome on Founder’s Green includes a “purple out,” DJ music, the Royal’s cheerleaders, hip-hop dance team and plenty of surprises that should please any Office fan.
The Royal Welcome is free to all members of the University community, who should enter from the Commons between the Weinberg Memorial Library and St. Thomas Hall. A Royal card is required to gain access to the University section, which opens at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. The first 2,000 students, faculty and staff who are admitted with their Royal Cards will receive a purple University of Scranton t-shirt. Employees will be allowed to dress casual on Friday, if wearing purple.
Viewing areas for the general public will be on Founders’ Green and on Monroe Avenue near the Alumni Rose Garden.
Classes Are Not Canceled
The University is not canceling class on Friday, leaving schedule modifications to the discretion of individual professors for morning classes. The Royal Welcome is expected to conclude by around 10 a.m. The next Office Convention event will take place at 5 p.m. on the Main Stage in front of Saint Thomas Hall with local bands performing at a Street Fair on the 800 block of Linden Street.
Traffic Changes will not Close Lots but Expect Delays and Congestion
The University’s parking lots will remain open to those with permits throughout the weekend, except for the Faculty Parking section of the St. Thomas Hall lot, which will be closed from 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening through Sunday morning. This portion of St. Thomas Hall’s parking lot will be used for the Office Convention main tent.
In order to accommodate the set up of the main stage at St. Thomas Hall, Linden Street will be restricted to one-way traffic only from Monroe to Madison Avenue from 2 p.m. on Thursday until 5:30 p.m. when it closes for the duration of the Convention.
The City of Scranton is closing other streets in the vicinity of campus on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Madison Avenue will be closed from the Scranton Expressway to Brennan Hall. Those wishing to park in the Parking Pavilion must enter Madison Avenue by way of Mulberry Street.
On Saturday, Linden Street will also be closed from Monroe Avenue to North Washington Avenue, with the exception of Jefferson Avenue, which will remain open to traffic.
The City will also place bags on parking meters on Linden Street (800 block), Monroe Avenue (200 block) and Madison Avenue (300 block). Metered parking in these areas will be unavailable from Thursday through Sunday.
University Offices Remain Open
Offices will open as scheduled on Friday morning, but members of the University community are advised to plan for additional time to accommodate traffic. University offices will close at 3 p.m. to help alleviate traffic congestion at the end of the day.
College Night Block Party on Friday
University students are invited to attend the free “College Night Block Party Bash for Aspiring Paper Professionals” at the Byron Recreation Complex from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is being planned jointly by students from Scranton, Marywood University, Keystone College and Lackawanna College. Use your Royal Card for admission.
The Office Convention
The Office Convention will officially kick off with a ticketed reception at the Radisson at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26. The University will host several Convention events, including the Office Olympics on Linden Street and Founder’s Green on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a “Q and A” with cast members at the Long Center on Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Convention also includes several free events on or near campus. These include bands performing at a student block party on Linden Street near St. Thomas Hall from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and the Linden Street Festival with the NBC Store, music, food and games from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
As of today, 15 members of the cast and about a dozen writers are expected to take part in the Convention, including at events on our campus. For the latest information or to purchase tickets, visit www.theofficeconvention.com.