By Sissi De Flaviis
Carleton University’s eighth annual Throwback celebration is going digital this year.
From Epic Bingo night hosted by the Campus Activity Board to conversations about climate change hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and Design, there are a lot of ways for the Carleton community and far-flung alumni to get involved.
The traditional event of Homecoming, which marked the beginning of the football season, will be replaced by a digital viewing party. On Friday, Oct. 2, the Carleton community will relive the football championship of 1985 with live commentary from a player who participated that year.
Throwback 2020 events will be held from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
Other events include trivia questions over Carleton’s social media channels, a virtual tour of campus to highlight new buildings and the Department of Biology’s famous Butterfly Show will be online.
The major highlight of Throwback 2020 will be Carleton’s launch of its Strategic Integrated Plan, happening on Wednesday, Sep. 30.
After a broad and consultative process over the past year, this virtual launch will present Carleton’s strategic plan for the future, which includes three strategies: Share Knowledge, Shape the Future; Serve Ottawa, Serve the World; and Strive for Wellness, Strive for Sustainability.
Since Throwback is a week focused on honouring the past and opening the doors to the community, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate and launch this ambitious vision for Carleton’s future.
“Although we normally have (up to) 10,000 people (attending) during the week, we’re hoping that we’re going to be able to engage the same number of people because we’ll be able to engage individuals from around the world,” says Christina Chenard, acting director of Alumni and Donor Relations and co-chair of Carleton’s Throwback Committee.
Throwback Sentiment Remains the Same
“Traditionally, [Throwback] is an opportunity for our alumni, our community members and our retired faculty to come back to campus, reminisce and reconnect,” says Chenard.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events have been moved online, which was no easy task for the planning committee.
“Not all of the events actually work well to the digital world,” says Chenard.
That’s why events such as the Milestone Celebration—a big brunch where classes celebrating a milestone year (25, 30, 40 years and more) relive walking across the stage—had to be cancelled.
“That is always a real highlight of the week,” says Chenard. “But it doesn’t translate to an actual online event, because you can’t digitally walk across the stage.”
Carleton University Alumni Association President Mat Main and Carleton University President Benoit-Antoine Bacon at Throwback 2019.
Instead of reliving Convocation, members of those classes will receive a personalized message from Mat Main, president of the Carleton University Alumni Association.
“I don’t need to share the same room with fellow alumni to know that we are here for each other,” says Main.
“This is a tough time. I will always be a part of Throwback at Carleton, whether it’s sitting in the bleachers in the pouring rain, on stage at the milestone brunch or from the comfort of my computer screen.”
Throwback 2020 events will be held from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
