Red-Letter Days
Campus Life Time
Between 12:40 and 2:10 p.m. every Wednesday during the academic year, no classes are scheduled, giving students a chance to come together for some of Stony Brook's most exciting events. We call it Campus Life Time, a weekly tradition dating back to 1991. A great time for residents and commuters alike to get involved with student life, Campus Life Time features carnivals, concerts, student expo fairs, live entertainment, celebrity speakers, free food, and giveaways -- plus a chance for informal face-to-face encounters in the midst of hectic academic schedules.
Career & Internship Week
You have to try hard not to get hired during this annual week-long program for student job-seekers, sponsored by the Career Center. In a springtime series of varied and informative programs, SB alums talk to students about their work and offer advice for students who wish to follow in their footsteps.
Diversity Day
Diversity Day brings individuals of different backgrounds together for an annual day of celebration and togetherness. Every spring semester during Strawberry Fest (see below), we share the many dimensions of our different heritages and lifestyles through music and dance performances, creative arts, lectures, and cultural offerings. The event is planned and organized by the President's Committee on Diversity, which includes student representatives from campus clubs and organizations.
Earthstock
In late April on Earth Day, Stony Brook’s Earthstock celebration features exhibits, displays, lectures and concerts to promote and support environment-friendly living. Events include dance and drumming performances; the Ashley Schiff Preserve Guided Walk; live musical performances; an ice cream social; and lectures on conservation.
Midnight Scream
AAAAAAARGH! Every midnight during final exams, students from across campus pop open their windows or step outside for an extended cathartic holler.
Some say the tradition rejuvenates and motivates them for a few extra hours of late-night studying; others claim it's essential just to preserve their sanity. For faculty and administrative staff, participation is optional.
Opening Activities/Chillfest
At the opening of fall and spring semesters, students are welcomed back to campus with a month-long festival of social, athletic, and academic events. The winter edition is known as "Chillfest"; September's opening activities are collectively branded, well, "Opening Activities." (Sorry, "Dave Chapelle's Block Party" was already taken.) Events include new student orientation, barbeques, comedy shows, shopping excursions, performances, films, student basketball tournaments, and a craft fair, as well as seasonal activities like ice skating and ski trips.
Roth Pond Regatta
Here's a genuinely unique Stony Brook tradition dating from 1989: On the last Friday of April, teams representing clubs, organizations, and adminstrative offices race across bucolic Roth Pond in makeshift craft constructed only of cardboard, duct tape, and paint. The Roth Yachting Club names an admiral, a vice-admiral, an honorary commodore and various other nautical muckty-mucks to preside over the event. Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to compete and trophies are awarded to the winners. Nobody stays dry.
Shirley Strum Kenny Student Arts Festival
Each April, the annual Shirley Strum Kenny Student Arts Festival showcases the talent and diversity of our students through their creative endeavors. A week-long roster of events includes dance and operatic performances; film and video; and the annual Student Talent showcase.
Strawberry Fest
Long Island is renowned for its succulent strawberries, so it's only appropriate that we gather on the Academic Mall every spring to enjoy a mouthwatering menu of strawberry treats -- not to mention a fun-filled day of live music, dancing, and student performances. This event is traditionally held on the last Wednesday in April during Campus Lifetime in conjunction with Diversity Day.