Like any family, NSU has its own traditions. From academic to recreational, these annual, and semi-annual, events will have you feeling connected to the NSU family.
Sharkapalooza
The first Friday of the fall semester, the NSU community gathers for Sharkapalooza. As the closing event of the Weeks of Welcome, Sharkapalooza enables students to get information about all the different clubs and organizations at NSU, making it the event to get involved in on campus. At the end of the night, gift certificates and other prizes are awarded with raffle drawings.
Life 101
Life 101: Personally Speaking is a semi-annual event that brings leaders from business, politics, entertainment and athletics to share their accomplishments and life lessons with students. The program consists of a 60-minute interview hosted by a faculty member, as well as an audience Q&A. Past guests have included John Legend, Elizabeth Edwards, Alyssa Milano, Jason Taylor, Michael Phelps and Kristi Yamaguchi.
NSU’s Got Talent
NSU’s Got Talent allows students to compete for up to $500 for their registered student club or organization, athletic team or residence hall. Emulated after the popular television show, “America’s Got Talent,” students are able to express themselves through dance, music, comedy or any other talent.
Unity Week
Unity Week is designed to celebrate diversity, create peace and foster community support. Take Back the Night is part of Unity Week and is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual assault and violence while creating a supportive environment for expression and empowerment.
The event includes a candlelight vigil and a platform where survivors of sexual violence can share their experiences. In conjunction with Take Back the Night, the Clothesline Project is a visual exhibit of shirts with graphic messages and illustrations designed by survivors of violence and their loved ones.
Other events involved in Unity Week include the Wall of Hate, where students write words they find offensive on a wall that is torn down at the end of the week. The Hunger Banquet is another Unity Week event. During the event, participants are assigned a table that represents their world status for the night as an illustration of the inequitable distribution of food in the world.
Homecoming
Homecoming Week is a time where NSU welcomes its students, faculty, staff and alumni. Along with the traditional men and women’s homecoming basketball games, Chancellor Ferrero’s Annual Homecoming Tailgate allows the NSU Community to socialize before heading into the games. Past tail-gates featured caricature drawings, performances by NSU’s cheerleading squad and Razor – the school mascot – as well as the unveiling of the Shark Fountain. Other popular events that take place during the week are the NSU Homecoming Dance and the “Anything That Floats” Raft Race, where students make a makeshift raft out of wood, rubber, and whatever they can find to race across Gold Circle Lake and back without sinking.
NSU CommunityFest
NSU CommunityFest is an annual event held each February that celebrates and unites the NSU community around Gold Circle Lake, located behind the Alvin Sherman Library. The event was created in 2004 by Michelle Manley, assistant director of Student Media, while she was an undergraduate student. The purpose is to bring the university community together and build school spirit. Each year, this event brings more than 4,500 people from NSU community to the university’s main campus and features free food, live music, activity booths, a rock climbing wall and much more.
Ethics Bowl
The Ethics Bowl is designed to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to debate ethical issues. During this event, students are presented with scenarios where they must formulate an argument on whether a person acted ethically and what repercussions may result. Whether the discussion is about government protocols around the world or the business and politics of the United States, this is a medium where students can discuss controversial issues.
Senior Prom
The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement hosts the annual Senior Prom, an event where NSU students and senior citizens from nursing homes gather for a night of music and fun. At the event, everyone dresses in evening attire for pictures and dances to music, courtesy of NSU’s radio station, WNSU RadioX 88.5 FM. By volunteering at this event, NSU students can earn service hours for themselves or their organization.
NSU’s Biggest Loser
The Office of Campus Recreation modeled this health, wellness and fitness program off of the popular television show, “The Biggest Loser” on NBC. For a small fee, this program offers contestants fitness assessments, physicals with blood work, three weekly training sessions with a team trainer, individual sessions with a “Healthy Lifestyles” coach, monthly fitness and nutrition education seminars, monthly “Team Fitness Challenges” and one-on-one sessions with the university nutritionist. The program runs for 16 weeks and the winner is announced in May.
STUEYs
Brad Williams, Ed.D., dean of Student Affairs, created the annual Student Life Achievement Awards, or the STUEYs, 11 years ago. The awards honor students, faculty and staff who contribute and show their commitment to NSU. Each year, nominees are chosen based on scholarship, service, commitment, leadership, integrity, inclusion and involvement. Every student, professor, corporate partner, staff or faculty member is eligible for nomination. The nominating period is from August to February of each academic year.
