August 11, 2015
Media Advisory -- Inaugural Dawg Days at SIU
Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s inaugural freshman event, “Dawg Days: A Saluki’s First Tradition,” will take place Aug. 16-19 at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, located about eight miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road. Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the activities.
The retreat offers a chance for freshmen to get acquainted, enjoy special activities and prepare for their first year at SIU. Registration was open to all freshmen on a first-come, first-served basis with a cap of 120 participants. They will arrive on shuttles from campus about 5 p.m. on Aug. 16 and the fun starts immediately and goes until about midnight, with a game of Capture the Flag and ice-breaker activities on the schedule. Activities run from 8 a.m. to about midnight Aug. 17-18, wrapping up back on the SIU campus about noon on Aug. 19.
Participants will enjoy a traditional camp experience in the modern Touch of Nature cabin facilities and have the opportunity to enjoy zip-lining, team challenges, canoeing, kayaking, games, water activities, social events, movies, a question and answer session with some faculty, a festival, an ice cream social and much more.
There are numerous good opportunities for media to highlight Dawg Days. From 9 a.m. to noon on Aug. 17 and 18, the students will divide into smaller groups for a wide variety of hands-on activities including duct-tape dodgeball, team challenges and zip-lining. There will also be a large group water activity at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 and at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 students will participate in an adventure race incorporating challenges and activities across the camp, similar to a television game of “Survivor.”
Sponsors of “Dawg Days: A Saluki’s First Tradition” include Touch of Nature Environmental enter, Recreational Sports and Services, the Department of Health, Education and Recreation in the College of Education and Human Services and New Student Programs.
For more information, or to learn about other times for media visits, contact JD Tanner, director of Touch of Nature, at jdtanner@siu.edu or by calling 618/453-1121. You can also learn more about this new event at www.ton.siu.edu.