Schools
On Campus: Most Get Wet at Roth Regatta, Strawberryfest
Annual event proves, once again, that cardboard boats rarely float.
Hundreds of Stony Brook University students came out Friday to see if two- and four-person cardboard boats would float or sink at the annual Roth Regatta.
Most sank.
Contestants were asked to make boats from cardboard, duct tape and spray paint – no other materials were allowed – and row their boats across the 40-foot Roth Pond, centered in the middle of Roth quad.
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Heroes and Villains was the theme of this year’s Roth regatta, a favorite annual pastime at Stony Brook. The event was taken over this year from the Roth Yachting Club by the Undergraduate Student Government, who awarded several trophies to the winners.
Boats this year, modeled after a variety of good and bad guys and their modes of transport, included the Batmobile, the Ninja Turtles, a Pokemon and many more.
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“I had fun,” said Jesse Chang, 19, a freshman student from Taiwan. “The Batmobile was the single most awesome thing I’d seen all semester.”
The Regatta, which is usually held on the last friday of April to give students a fun time before finals start, was moved to the first monday in May to coincide with Stony Brook Concerts' presentation of R&B singer Bruno Mars in concert.
Weather and Evacuation Interrupt Strawberry Festival
Fire alarms disrupted this year’s Strawberry Festival, an annual event at Stony Brook University that features everything strawberry related, from smoothies, shortcake, lemonade, salads, crates of strawberries, and ice cream.
The event, which had already been moved inside from its first location at the Academic Mall due to the inclement weather, was packed with students clamoring for strawberry treats.
The fire alarm went off once about a half hour into the festival, resulting in the emptying of the entire Student Activities Center. Attendees waited outside in the rain until they were allowed to reenter.
However, not 20 minutes later, the alarms went off again, clearing the building once more.
It is not certain what caused the alarms. The Stony Brook Police and Fire Departments could not be reached for comment, and Stony Brook media relations did not respond to a request for comment.
“Strawberryfest was an excellent community builder, however ... it seemed like there were several logistical issues,” said Errol Kupelian, 18, a freshman from Levittown. “[But] it was a great time. Strawberries are delicious.”
