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Dear SUUSI Beloveds,
We have an important announcement to make: SUUSI 2024 is moving through both space and time to Shine On in Radford, Virginia, a week later (July 21-27) than we had previously planned for it to be.
Due to a confluence of many complicated factors, the folks at Western Carolina University decided that it would be best for them not to host SUUSI in 2024. They informed us in December that our contract was being canceled, and our site team sprang immediately to work, using the relationships they had built in their hard work over the last few years. Because our covenant is important to us and it includes kindness and compassion for everyone in our community, we invite you to receive this news as it is rather than speculating about why. If you feel you need to talk to someone about this, please reach out to me (director@suusi.org) or Angel Wall (president@suusi.org).
We were pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation from Radford University, home to many previous SUUSIs, and we are pleased to be announcing a return to this special place. We have been offered our own compact area of the campus, with plenty of housing and access to dining and nightlife options (if you remember the Radford campus, it is the quad of dorms that includes Bolling, Draper, Pocahontas, and Ingles halls). The dorms have all been completely renovated (and air-conditioned) since we were last there, and we will take advantage of their beautiful new lounges. Our Nature team is already hard at work digging up old catalogs and planning their program. I will personally call the manager of the 7-11 across the street to give them a heads-up.
When I first came to SUUSI in the mid-1990s, it was common to hear people sing a special SUUSI song whose refrain was about wanting to return to Radford after death rather than heaven, since SUUSI was our paradise (y’all who know it better than I do can prepare to sing it this summer). For all we know, our beloved ancestors have been waiting for us in Radford since we left. It’ll be good to be around them again.
A million thanks go to our incredible Site Selection Team. Special kudos to our Registrar, Peter Lazar, who made site visits in person and via computer. The team that has been working on this are the following fine SUUSI folks:
- Chris Breivogel
- Peter Lazar
- Karen Peterson
- Barb Howard
- Cate Farrell
- Elizabeth Cameron
- Connie Moore
- Angel Wall
- Rachel Bevins
- Alexis Long
- Russ Taddeo
- Aidan Quinn
- Christine Stay
We hope that you (and your family and friends--spread the word!) will join us in Radford this summer so we can Shine On.
Yours,
Michael Tino
2024 SUUSI Director
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