Deck Out Your Rhett contest shows off school spirit
The Student Activities Office is showing the University a new side of Rhett.
An unpainted five-foot statue of BU’s Terrier is unveiled at noon Friday, October 7, to kick off Deck Out Your Rhett, a prelude to Parents’ Weekend that involves a competition among SAO groups to come up with the best decoration scheme for 30 unpainted statues of Rhett.
“We’re changing things up a little bit,” says Colleen Quinn, an SAO program coordinator. “To my knowledge, no other college in the country has ever done something like this.”
Deck Out Your Rhett is new this year, replacing the all-night float-building contest that used to take place the night before the Homecoming parade. This year, SAO coordinators were inspired by the Cow Parade art exhibits that were staged throughout New York and Chicago. For Cow Parade, local artists were assigned to decorate life-sized fiberglass cows; at BU, each student group will be assigned one fiberglass Rhett that they must paint and decorate over the next week. All the Rhetts will be unveiled — and judged — at a competition on Saturday, October 15.
“They’ll be judged on the basis of overall appearance, how well the Rhett fits with each group’s theme, and originality,” says Quinn. “Everybody at the Terrier Fair on the 15th will be able to vote.” The winning group will receive $500.
The first unpainted Rhett statue will be revealed on Marsh Plaza at noon. Cider and cake will be served at the event.