Imported: 15 December 2009

This past weekend was supposed to be our big English Festival weekend, welcoming students and faculty from two other universities on the mainland, and one from Korea. Sadly, a student was confirmed to have a case of H1N1, so all events at the Great Hall had to be canceled or rescheduled. Besides being worried about the sick student, who does have more than a mild flu-like case of the disease, we are all incredibly disappointed at not having the opportunity to witness this year's festival until May. English Festival is sometimes funny, sometimes painful, but always a ton of work for everyone involved. I even volunteered in some small roles - judging semi-finals and coaching a speech contestant - in the hopes that I would be more committed to something if I was more invested in it. And I was. Students and faculty have been holding midnight rehearsals, giving and attending workshops on singing, checking scripts, lines, and acting abilitiy, and all the myriad of other things that go into pulling off this event. It's truly unfortunate to see their day spoiled and know that it's hanging over all our heads until next semester. I can't say that I'm happy to have gotten my very own "outbreak" experience here. SARS v. 2.0.