Students urged to attend parking meeting Friday

Members of the Student Government will bring data on parking spaces from three lots to the parking committee in an effort to gain more student parking.

Students who performed the survey said change depends on the amount of students with parking concerns who attend the meeting.

Speaker of the Senate elect Bill Davidson said parking committee meetings are always a challenge because of poor communication between students and Eastern employees.

One hundred and twenty-three parking spaces in the new lot in front of Coleman Hall, 30 spots along Fourth Street and 36 spots along the softball field of Lantz Arena have been surveyed for eight weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. by the recycling and development committee.

Donna Fernandez, student relations chair, said the spaces surveyed indicate parking spaces in all three lots currently go unused.

“I urge students to go to the meeting…in order to change anything they need a lot of student input,” Amy Leonard, student member of the parking committee, said.

Fernandez said the data, including pictures every hour of the empty spaces along with charts and graphs, will help provide “strong evidence” as proof of a needed change.

Leonard said on a given day there is an average of 43 open parking spaces of the 189 spots in question.

-Benjamin Tully, Student Government editor

Percussion Ensemble closes concert season

Anyone who ever said nothing good is free will be proven wrong at Eastern’s Percussion Ensemble’s final performance of the year at 7 p.m. Friday in Dvorak Concert Hall in the Doudna Fine Arts Center, said a press release.

Music professor Johnny Lee Lane, who is celebrating 28 years as conductor of the ensemble, said he wants to continue the tradition of concerts established over the decades.

Terence Mayhue, music instructor and Eastern alumnus, said there will be a “wide variety of different musical scores.”

Mayhue will be leading the Latin and World ensembles at the concert.

In addition, the Glenbard North High School Percussion Ensemble from Carol Stream, will perform a Latin-inspired piece called “El Cumbanchero” and an original piece by a member of the ensemble, a press release said.

Nicholas Terry, senior music major, is featured in a solo performance from a piece entitled “Pan in A Minor,” written by Eastern alumnus Amin Gumbs.

The Marimba Orchestra will also perform “Londonderry Air,” an arrangement of the classic folk song “Danny Boy.”

– Charita Callaway, staff writer

Community group brings wizard to town

A new spin on the classic tale of Dorothy and her ruby slippers will be brought to Celebration at 3 p.m. Saturday in the University Theatre, a press release stated.

“Oz,” the musical version of the “Wizard of Oz,” will be put on by a community group from Marshall.

The Phoenix Theatre group has a cast of 85 actors ranging from 4 to 83 years old. The group will use modernized music, vibrant colored costumes, lively dancing and memorable characters for their performance of “Oz.”

The cast for “Oz” is composed of community actors who have been working on the production since February, Robin Jordan, show director, said in the release.

“There are no professionals here, these are regular folks who either work each day, go to school and enjoy their retirement.” Tickets for “Oz” are $6 for adults and $4 for children and are available by calling the Celebration planning office at 581-2113.

– Caitlin Prendergast, activities editor