offers exciting menu More than 5,000 expected to enjoy dancing, dining and dynamic athletics KINGSTON, R.I. — September 30, 1999 — Your daughter has a soccer game late Saturday afternoon of URI Homecoming Weekend ’99, but you’d still like to take part in the festivities. Why not have an early brunch with your family at Butterfield Dining Hall Saturday, Oct. 23. The brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Who knows, you might run into some of your old pals from the residence halls, and you won’t have to worry about cleaning the dishes. Or how about a night of dancing that Saturday evening at the Hotel Viking in Newport? Maybe you live in South County and want to stop in at the pep rally and bonfire, Thursday Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. outside Keaney Gym. Don’t forget the football game Saturday at noon against Maine. Behind the north end zone, the Alumni Association will present the Family Zone, an activity area featuring free URI items for families, crafts, balloon artists, cider and cookies. Those alumni who tooted, marched, banged and oompahed in That Ram Band are invited to Alumni Band practice at the football field at 10 a.m. on Saturday. At halftime of the football game, the alumni band members will perform with current members. The red hot men’s soccer team plays Friday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. against Fordham and Sunday, Oct. 24 at noon against La Salle. “We didn’t want to leave out anyone, so we have events for families, young grads, singles, couples, those who like athletics and those who don’t,” said Michele Nota, executive director of the URI Alumni Association. This year, the association is trying something new: cluster reunions at its two major social events. The cluster reunions, requested by many alumni, group classes together so that friends of various graduating classes have a chance to reconnect. Grads from 1983-84-85; 1988-89-90; and 1993-94-95 are invited Saturday to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Coast Guard House in Narragansett. Admission is $20 per person, and there is a cash bar. The actual reunion years are indicated in bold. The association will be celebrating the classes of 1963-64-65; 1968-69-70 and 1978-79-80 at the Hotel Viking. The cost is $30 per person, $25 with Alumni Association membership. Eight to the Bar will provide the music, and coffee and dessert will be served. To order tickets for the Viking or the Coast Guard House , call 401-874-2242. Jennifer Durand, assistant director of the Alumni Relations, said the cluster arrangement has also come about because alumni membership has changed as students take varying amounts of time to complete degree programs and identify less and less with a single graduating class. “To accommodate this trend, we’re moving away from traditional class reunions, and while we celebrate specific years, we also invite alumni from the surrounding graduation years in hopes of bringing friends together,” Durand said. In addition to the social and athletic activities, the weekend will also feature the URI Homecoming Carnival, operated by Rockwell Amusements, which opens Friday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. in the Mackal Parking Lot near Keaney. It runs through Sunday. It is open to the public. The Department of Athletics will hold its Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Awards Banquet at the Quidnessett Country Club, North Kingstown, Friday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Ram Athletics at 874-4513. Also, the Political Science Department will host a Town Meeting on Friday, “The Role of Government in the 21st Century,” in Edwards Auditorium, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., which will be televised live by Cox Cable. A reception, hosted by URI’s College of Arts and Sciences, follows. The public is invited free of charge. Note to editors: For more information, please see enclosed brochure, as well as the map showing alumni in your area. -xxx- For Further Information: Dave Lavallee 401-874-2116