Second annual waves weekend—A BIG tradition in the making

The upcoming Waves Weekend will be bigger and better than ever before. As the official launch of the University’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, the University hopes that current students, alumni, faculty, staff, relatives, friends and donors join together to celebrate the University’s unique and special community.

The celebration will take place Oct. 14 through Oct. 16, with Blue and Orange Madness on Friday at 6 p.m. The concerts will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. in conjunction with the Waves Weekend Festival.

No corners were cut this year in planning the exceptional weekend of events. Highlights of the weekend will include a special performance by the Pepperdine Improv Troupe (PIT), various mixers, Blue and Orange Madness, and a concert featuring Lady Danville, Andy Grammar and Grammy Award winner Colbie Caillat.

Last year, several separate events planned to draw together parts of the Pepperdine community, like Family Weekend, Blue and Orange Madness, Spirit Cup, Homecoming and athletic events.

In honor of the University’s 75th anniversary, Pepperdine has decided to join forces to pull together the best possible event in hopes of creating a lasting tradition of Waves Weekend and to engage the entire community.

“At the heart of Waves Weekend is our desire to focus on the larger community of Pepperdine as a whole. From current students to alumni, faculty, staff, relatives, friends, donors and other supporters, each of us are Waves,” said Matt Ebeling, executive director of Alumni Affairs. “Together, we all have an equal stake in carrying out the University’s mission, and Waves Weekend offers an engaging university-wide rally point toward that purpose.”

Ebeling, a Pepperdine alumnus, and his dedicated team are responsible for leading the high-level vision behind the evolution of Waves Weekend, a concept that is almost four years in the making.

“Waves Weekend cannot exist without the brilliant collaborative efforts of our chief partners from Student Activities, University Events, the alumni offices of Pepperdine’s graduate schools and dozens of other teams throughout the University dedicated to bringing all Waves together. This is truly a team effort that does not happen without the passion and talents of many,” Ebeling said.

Senior Courtney Niemann, weekend and special events chair on the Student Programming Board (SPB), is excited about the ability to plan more engaging events.

“With the increase in the student activity fee we are able to expand the event and make it bigger than ever,” Niemann said.

The increase in the student activity fee played a major role in the development of the second Waves Weekend. Since the event will be the biggest event at Pepperdine this year, with an estimated attendance of 2,700 this year, the increased fee will help to provide a memorable experience for Waves of all sorts.

Although this year’s festivities will be only the second Waves Weekend, Pepperdine has the resources to bring big names to campus.

“The creation of these new traditions involves a moderate investment on the front end, but as attendance increases, the participant fees and sponsorships will begin to cover the bulk of the associated event costs,” Ebeling said. “Pepperdine also feels that this is the perfect experience to invest in, as Waves Weekend is such a powerful venue for building, sustaining and growing the sense of community and family that is such a crucial part of our institution’s culture.”

The decision to make this event bigger than ever before was largely based on Pepperdine’s goal to seek more student involvement, appreciation for the tradition and a memorable experience for the entire community.

“I fully expect that the success of Waves Weekend will ultimately be led by the indomitable spirit of our student body, and I would like to take this opportunity to challenge every single student to personally own Waves Weekend to help us harness its power to unite Waves everywhere,” Ebeling said. “Nothing will help this new tradition take off more than having all of our students at Friday’s Blue and Orange Madness festivities, and especially at Saturday evening’s Waves Weekend concert.”

A carnival will be held during Blue & Orange Madness, which will feature a full sized, 55-foot ferris wheel, a spinning ride and a large fiberglass racing slide. In addition to the rides, there will be premier food trucks and games such as human bowling, twister, a rock climbing wall, speed pitch and basketball. These activities will be followed by a performance by IaMmE — the winners of America’s Best Dance Crew.

“I hope that students will come early to enjoy all the ‘Village’ portion event has to offer. A lot of clubs and organizations take a lot of time to create fun carnival games and prizes so I challenge them to come out right at 6 and really take in the whole event,” Niemann said.

Ebeling and his team have worked to plan an incredible Waves Weekend event and hope that it will be an impactful time for the Pepperdine community to realize the potential of the University and its students.

“It is our hope that through Waves Weekend, all attending members of the Pepperdine family will be re-energized in their affinity to alma mater and will be inspired to connect with the University in ever-increasing and meaningful ways,” Ebeling said. “This enormous gathering of Waves will remind so many people of the reasons they initially fell in love with Pepperdine and will encourage continued involvement through countless other events, programs, regional alumni chapters and service opportunities in the years ahead.”

If Pepperdine has changed your life, join us at Waves Weekend. Registration is free to students, but please register online by Oct. 12 at www.pepperdine.edu/wavesweekend and select the “Student” option.

To view my article online go to: http://www.pepperdine-graphic.com/lifearts/2nd-annual-waves-weekend-expected-to-be-bigger-and-better/