MainStreet Stride Shows University Pride

Black and red will be the colors moving through the heart of UC’s campus as a special parade celebrates the completion of UC’s MainStreet corridor – a pathway that blends student learning with student life. The Bearcat Band, UC Cheerleaders, UC Dance Team, student organizations and the Office of the President will lead the MainStreet Stride as it gets underway at noon Friday, May 19, on McMicken Commons and follows the MainStreet corridor until the foot parade ends at Sigma Sigma Commons. Participants are encouraged to demonstrate their creativity in wearing UC’s red-and-black to show off university pride and compete for prizes.

The MainStreet Stride is one of the highlights of UC’s Meet Me on MainStreet celebration May 19-20. MainStreet construction wrapped up this year with the completion of the largest and most complex building of the MainStreet project, the 350,000 square-foot Campus Recreation Center.

Mitchel D. Livingston, UC Vice President of Student Affairs and Services, says the student-life centered construction project through the heart of campus evolved entirely from student input. “Students decided what it should look like, students decided on funding, and students decided on the time frame for getting it done. And we honored all three of those,” he says.

MainStreet is a key example of the goals of the UC|21 Strategic Plan to place students at the center of the university – the plan evolved largely from student input – and to establish a sense of place, offering exciting programming, food and fun in a pedestrian-friendly corridor for members of the campus community and the community at large.

Word about the parade, and the best way to show off the red and black and win ‘fabulous’ prizes, is getting out to UC’s Greek fraternities and sororities as well as student government, student honorary organizations and student art organizations. Because MainStreet is for and about students, students will be heavily involved with participating in the parade.

The parade is expected to last approximately 30 minutes and each unit will receive “MainStreet Money” to spend in food venues along MainStreet after the parade.