'School House Rock'

[TSteven]

(Sigma Alpha Iota's All Campus Sing - Murray State University)

'School House Rock'
Students perform during 47th annual event
By Stephanie Salmons
Published: Friday, April 22, 2005
The Murray State News

From the African desert in "The Lion King" to the Austrian hills in "The Sound of Music," the community enjoyed a variety of performances Wednesday in the Quad.

Several students, faculty, staff and Murray residents gathered to watch 16 groups showcase their talents in the University's 47th annual All Campus Sing on the steps of Lovett Auditorium.

The groups participated in one of five divisions: independent, sorority, fraternity, residential college and non-competitive.

Each group performed themed selections, ranging from Alpha Sigma Phi's "Relationships," to Tau Kappa Epsilon's "Video Games," featuring Mario and Luigi, to Alpha Omicron Pi's "The Sound of Music."

The International Student group in the independent division received a standing ovation of sorts as the audience rose to its feet for the group's "National Anthems" closer, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Kristen Shepard, All Campus Sing coordinator and director of Sigma Alpha Iota's program, said she started planning the event in October 2004.

"It's so great to spread music around campus and have everybody come out and be so excited about music," Shepard, senior from Wildwood, Mo., said. "That's my favorite part."

Aside from minor sound problems, she said the evening went well.

"Everything was awesome and so much better than I ever imagined," Shepard said.

She said she would like to see more sororities, fraternities and residential colleges participate in 2006.

"More participation would be great, but this year was definitely 100 percent better than last year's (performance) because of participation," Shepard said.

The All Campus Sing winners were disclosed after the Student Government Association election results were announced. The Honors Program won first place in the independent division with its "School House Rock"-themed performance. The group sang some of the program's classic songs, including "Conjunction Junction," "Interplanet Janet" and "I'm Just a Bill," complete with a group member in costume sitting "on Capitol Hill."

The Alpha Gamma Delta "Weather Girls" took first place in the sorority division as the performers dressed in bright-colored raincoats and shirts as they sang "weather" songs, including "Tomorrow," from Annie, and "Winter Wonderland."

During the group's performance of "It's Raining Men," three male students wearing boxer shorts and smiles came out of the auditorium twirling umbrellas in front of themselves, initially appearing naked to the audience.

Murray State's own versions of Joliet and Elwood Blues starred in Sigma Phi Epsilon's first-place winning performance in the fraternity division.

The "Sig Ep's on a Mission from God"-themed performance featured the members dressed in Blues Brothers-esque clothing - white dress shirts, black pants, black ties, black top hats and black sunglasses - dancing the "mashed potato," the "monkey" and other steps.

Jacob Savage, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and sophomore from Lexington, Mass., said he and his fraternity brothers were ecstatic when they were announced as the winners in their division.

"I wouldn't mind doing it again," Savage said. "We worked on this for so long, everyday and some weekends. All the hard work paid off."

The Hester College "Newsies" won the residential college division. To give the audience an authentic "Newsies" feel, members dressed like cast members from the musical, complete with earth-toned clothing and suspenders. The group got into the performance by acting out scenes from the movie.

Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, said he was pleased with the 16 group turnout but would like to see more participation in the future.

Robertson said All Campus Sing has a long tradition at the University and holds significant importance for alumni.

Said Robertson: "When they think back on traditions of the University, this is one of them."