THURSDAY, JULY 20

Are you feeling appreciative for what you've experienced so far this week? Turn that appreciation around and show the WCU dining hall staff some love when you pick up your plate. High five a staff person. Tell your workshop presenter what you thought they did really well. Compliment the musicians, cheer for the helpers, thank the AV staff. Appreciation for the little things can truly turn our world around!

THURSDAY SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

7 am - 8 pm: SUUSI Dining Hall Hours, Courtyard Dining Hall

8 - 8:30 am: Group Meditation, Blue Ridge 203

9 - 9:45 am: Morning Worship, We Come from the Air: Practices and Rituals for Changing, Star Atrium at Bardo Fine Arts Center

9:30 am - 6:30 pm: SUUSI Store and Artisans' Bazaar, Blue Ridge Conf. Ctr.

12:45 - 1:45 pm, Greg Greenway Singing & Signing in the SUUSI Store

4 - 6 pm: Community Time: SUUSI Community Art Festival, Central Plaza

4:15 - 5:15 pm: Eric Bannan Singing & Signing in the SUUSI Store

5:15 - 6:15 pm: Pat Wictor Singing & Signing in the SUUSI Store

6:30 - 8 pm: Ballroom Hour+, Campus Rec Center Studio 1

7 - 7:45 pm: Evening Worship, The World Keeps Turning, Bardo

8 - 9 pm: Concert Hour with School of Rock, Bardo

9 - 11:30 pm: Cabaret, Bardo

10 pm - 1 am: CACHE, Balsam Blue Ridge Crossover Lounge

10:30 pm - 1 am: Serendipity, Theme: Tie Dye, Hillside Grind

11 pm - 3 am: Late Night Song Circle, Water Rock 3108

Evening Worship

In tonight's service, The World Keeps Turning, we honor the many transitions and bridges that mark our lives, sharing and celebrating in community. This includes child dedications, teen bridging, and other important transitions. This year, this celebration will include those who wish to have their new names, pronouns, and/or gender identities recognized and celebrated by the SUUSI community. If you would like to be part of this celebration, or if you have a child to be dedicated, please email nurture@suusi.org no later than NOON today. (Please note that teens who are bridging will be coordinated by the Teen Director, teens@suusi.org.)

Concert Hour

Tonight’s Concert Hour features SUUSI's own School of Rock and begins at 8 pm in Bardo. Led by Dan Eppley (bass), a School of Rock alum, talented teen and young adult musicians have been practicing all week and are ready to present their rockin' performance to you tonight.

SUUSI Location Survey

The SUUSI Board wants your input!! SUUSI occasionally has to find a new location — whether we stay at WCU a little longer or look to move elsewhere in the Southeast, we want to know what factors matter most to you in host sites and locations. Specifically, what would make SUUSI a safe and welcoming space for you? While everyone is welcome and encouraged to share their thoughts, we especially encourage people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ people to share, as we aim to center these identities and perspectives in this conversation. Please share your thoughts on this Google Form.

This form is an extension of the in-person Town Hall listening session at SUUSI on Wednesday, 7/19/2023. If you have any further questions reach out to secretary@suusi.org

SUUSI Board of Trustees Election Today

Thursday is Election Day at SUUSI! We'll elect one adult member and one youth representative to the Board of Trustees. Adult participants aged 18+ will vote for an adult candidate. Participants aged 6 - 17 will vote for a youth candidate.

Youth will vote during their program hours, on paper ballots. Teens will vote in their dorm in the afternoon, on paper ballots. Adults will vote electronically via SOLIS, the SUUSI Online Information System. All registered adult participants will be able to vote through SOLIS, including those who are joining us remotely.

To cast your vote, sign in to Solis.SUUSI.org after voting opens at 7 am today (Thursday) and before the polls close at 7 pm. During these hours, when you log in to SOLIS, you’ll see a link for the SUUSI Virtual Polling Place. Click there to vote. (Alternatively, you can go to Solis.SUUSI.org/vote.) Note: you will need your SOLIS password to vote. If you need assistance in retrieving your password, contact solis-help@suusi.org. 

If you need assistance with voting, Board members will be staffing a Voting Table at the bottom of the stairs in the cafeteria during meals, on Thursday. Be sure to read the candidate profiles below to be an informed voter!

Candidates

Andrew Diamond for SUUSI Board

SUUSI is at a time for contemplation of what we are together and what we, as a community, can become. The pandemic and other factors have created genuine challenges for SUUSI, and I feel the times call on me to deepen my commitment to SUUSI. This year is my 26th SUUSI since 1991. I have served on some UU boards, including the Florida District UU Board. IRL, I'm an IT Consultant with 30 years of post-MBA experience in my field (accounting and database design/implementation) I am also a yoga teacher, airplane/helicopter pilot, and avid skier. As a board member, I would work mindfully with both practical considerations and the heart and soul of the organization in mind. My primary work would be to support and encourage other board members and core staffers in their roles. I have the experience to provide a grounded voice while not being so set in my ways, or clouded by my personal wishes, that I'd resist nurturing the healthy change and growth for SUUSI that would benefit all participants. To take on this role, the community is the voice in deciding if what I bring aligns with your values to earn your vote. I thank you for your consideration.

Anthony Quandt-Judd for SUUSI Board

My name is Anthony Quandt-Judd. I was born in Florida on June 23rd, 2004, in Saint Petersburg, Florida. I am currently a student at the University of South Florida. I have been a part of Unitarian Universalism since I was born. I was born to two young parents with very caring unitarian universalist families, who have given me so much love and support throughout my life. SUUSI has always been a place I can call home, and I want to ensure that all people who share this belief can also call SUUSI home. I have served my two years on the board already and would love to continue to serve SUUSI as an adult representative. 

Renee Phillips for SUUSI Board Youth Representative

My name is Renee Phillips and I am running for the youth representative position on the SUUSI Board of Trustees. As a passionate advocate for youth empowerment and community engagement, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and dedication to SUUSI. I am committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for young individuals, where their voices are heard, and their ideas are valued. As a Youth Representative, I aim to be a voice for my peers, addressing their concerns, and proposing initiatives that will positively impact our community.

Learn Some Latin Dances

Ballroom Hour+ is a "partner dancing" venue available to all SUUSI attendees. It is held 6:30 - 8 pm today - Friday and is located in the fully air conditioned Campus Recreation Center Studio 1. The Campus Rec Center is just to the left of the Clock Tower – enter through the far right front door, and we are located at the top of the stairs. We will be playing a mix of Ballroom, Swing, Latin, and Country for your partner dancing pleasure, and we include a short dance lesson during the evening. For Thursday, the lesson will teach basic Rumba and Bachata steps.

Afternoon Volunteer Opportunity

Are you short of something to do on Thursday? The soup kitchen in Sylva could use more volunteers. They need help preparing the mailing for their fall fundraiser. Sign up in SOLIS for Thursday at 3 pm. We need you to register so we have enough cars. Meet at 3 pm at the Nature Tent.

Lots of great music tonight at Cabaret! We start with the Guest Room (featuring Louisa Wimberger, Mina Greenfield, Gary Gonzalez, Pat Wictor, Jane Upton, and Joe Jencks), followed by Patty Townsend, Angel Wall, the Powder Room, Sam Moore, Majestic Ginger Retreat (Ginger Long, Janette Muir, and Marie Steel), and Greg Greenway. Plus, the SUUSI raffle winners will be drawn around 10 pm.

Your Task: Be an Audience Member

Attend the Taskmaster - SUUSI Season Three final show on Friday at 2 pm in Coulter Recital Hall. You have until Friday at 2 pm to prepare. Your time starts now.

LGBTQ+ Drop-in Dining Club

Join the LGBTQ+ Drop-in Dining Club! In the dining hall, look for the Pride Flag sign and come hang out.

Expressing Our Gratitude

Please stop by community time today to help decorate thank you cards for WCU dining, conference services, housekeeping, and campus police staffs.

Friday Drivers Needed

Star Car (golf cart) drivers are really needed for Friday shifts. Sign up on the table by the entrance to the SUUSI Store in Blue Ridge Center.

Last Chance for Raffle Tickets

Today is your LAST CHANCE to buy tickets to win your choice of one of two amazing prizes the SUUSI Store is raffling off - a basket full of SUUSI musician CDs, or a $100 SUUSI Store gift certificate to use on anything you want from the SUUSI Store! Tickets are: 1 for $1, 12 for $10, and 25 for $20. Although you do not need to be present to win, the drawings for both items will be held tonight at 10 pm at Cabaret, with all monies collected going to SUUSIships.

TWOB will be Friday at 8 pm in Bardo! What's the theme? Here is today’s clue:

The film our show is based on is timeless.

Email your guesses to twob@suusi.org. New this year: there will be one more clue in the Friday NUUS.

Friday Night Jamboree Is Coming!

There's been so much great music happening this week, and now is the time to consider performing with some of your new SUUSI friends. We are still scheduling time for Friday night, so if you are interested, please text Cabaret Director Janette Muir (703-477-3940) to grab a five minute slot. We really like to see people on the stage who have never performed together before, so look around, it's easy to find a musician or two who would happily perform with you!

The Platinum Rule

Many people try to live by the Golden Rule. It is often written as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Many religious traditions espouse such a rule. For example, in the Book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 29:39).” Yet, the Golden Rule has assumptions built into it. The Golden Rule says that everyone should be treated the way I want to be treated.

We know that this is not necessarily the case. If fact, we know that this is not usually the case. Let’s say that I like hugs…that I LOVE hugs. The Golden Rule would say that I should then hug everybody (because that’s the way I like to be treated). Yet we know that not everybody loves, or even likes, hugs; and when I give others hugs, I’m not giving them what they need. And, conversely, if I’m suffering and badly need a hug, and there is no one willing to give me one (per their version of the Golden Rule), then I’m not getting what I need. Living by the Golden Rule, even with the best of intentions, can lead to strains in our covenant (i.e. people not getting what they need). The Platinum Rule essentially says, “Treat others the way THEY want to be treated.”

The difficulty with the Platinum Rule is that we often don’t know what other people need. We often don’t know how they want to be treated….AND we often make well-intentioned assumptions that end up straining our covenants. We’re doing our best and hopefully we can show one another grace and love as we muddle our way through the complexities of covenant and relationship. – Rev. Dave Dunn, CAT chair

Youth and Youth Parents

Youth programming continues today with age group programming in the morning and afternoon activities of outdoor water games and magic all around us.

Middlers

Today the Middlers take a half-day trip to Glenville Lake. In the afternoon, there are 13s Parents Q&A and Teen Dorm Tour at 2:30 pm and again at 5:15 pm.

Teens

As part of the bridging ceremonies this evening, the 17-year-olds are welcomed by the YAs into young adulthood and the YA Dorm. Before the Bridging Ceremony at tonight's evening worship service, 17-year-olds will have dinner with the YA's and then go to evening worship together.

Young Adults

YA Touch Groups are happening again today from 1 - 2 pm. There's also a Collaging, Vision Boarding, and Journaling workshop from 2:30 - 4 pm and dinner and bridging with the 17-year-olds starting at 5:30 pm. Finish up your day (night) with a Mocktail Competition from 1 - 2 am.

Medians

Tonight from 7 - 8:30 pm is the We're Not Really Strangers session where you can deepen your existing relationships and build new ones with a mix of carefully crafted questions. The fun continues with After Dark Party Games from 9 - 10 pm with such raunchy favorites as Telestrations After Dark and Five Second Rule. And as always, Midnight Snacks available until 2 am.