Sugar Day

A day of Scholarship, Reflection, and Celebration

Organized by the Office of Scholarly Endeavors, this year’s Sugar Day will take place on April 4, 2024!

Sugar Day continues to be one of the oldest campus traditions, though it has been celebrated in many forms since its founding. Beginning in 1856 as a celebration of collecting maple syrup, fondly called the “Day of Running Sap” by the Class of 1946, the day demonstrates community and service in varying capacities. In recent years, Sugar Day was restarted as a day of scholarship to showcase student presentations and academia.

If you are presenting, please complete the abstract submission form and send the completed template to careercenter@hiram.edu. Submitted abstracts will function as your registration to present. Please be sure to carefully follow the directions found on the abstract submission form, as it will ensure abstracts are recorded more faithfully. Please note that submissions will not be edited for accuracy or grammar. Given the wide variety of disciplinary writing conventions, this would be an impossible task. Thus, accepted submissions will be published as submitted. Abstracts are due Friday, March 17. Please reach out to the faculty member advising you on this project or to Dr. Steven Romberger for a copy of the abstract submission form.

For poster presentations, please reach out to the faculty member advising you on the project for a poster template. Your disciplinary/departmental conventions for a poster should guide your poster design. The only requirement is to not exceed 48 inches wide by 42 inches tall. The Office of Scholarly Endeavors will cover the cost of poster printing. Posters are due to the Service Center by Thursday, March 30 to ensure enough time to print all posters. Finally, please note that you are responsible for submitting and retrieving your poster from the Service Center and for hanging your poster during the Sugar Day Poster Session.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Pre-Conference Check-In
1-5 p.m., Career Collaboratory, First Floor of the Kennedy Center
Career Development Office

Sugar Day Kick-Off Event
“An Evening of Hiram Writers”
7 p.m., Alumni Heritage Room
Kirsten Parkinson and Mary Quade

Thursday, April 6, 2023

VIP Visitor and Last-Minute Presenter Conference Check-In
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Career Collaboratory
Career Development Office

Guided Hikes
8-10 a.m., Meet at the Kennedy Center
Sarah Mabey, Environmental Studies

Scarborough School of Business & Communication Experiential Learning Presentations
8:30-11 a.m., East Hall Forum
Andrew White, Scarborough School of Business & Communication

Chemistry & Biochemistry Capstones
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Pritchard Room
Steven Romberger, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Educational Studies Research and Capstones
8:30-10 a.m., Koritansky
Kelly NewVine, Educational Studies

Physics Capstones
9:30-10 a.m., Pritchard Room
Mark Taylor, Physics

Biology APEX Seminars
10-11 a.m., Gerstacker 123
Nick Hirsch, Biology

English Capstones
10:15 to 10:45 a.m., Pritchard Room
Kirsten Parkinson, English

Sugar Day ePoster and Pitch
11 a.m to 12 p.m., Hayden Auditorium
Courtney A. Mauck, First-Year Program

Free Campus-Wide Maple Themed Lunch
11 a.m to 12 p.m., Dining Hall
Please use a meal swipe if you have one.

Biomedical Humanities Capstones
1-3 p.m., Pritchard Room
Emily Waples, Biomedical Humanities

Environmental Studies Capstone
1-2:30 p.m., East Hall Forum
Debbie Kasper, Environmental Studies

Poster Session & Student Art Show
3-4 p.m., Gelbke
Capstones and Courses Represented: Sociology and Crime, Law, & Justice Capstones; Nursing Junior Research; Management and Marketing Research Capstones; Computer Science and Applied Computer Science Capstones; BCHM 36800: Intermediate Biochemistry Honors; CRLJ 20500: Victimology Honors; ENGL 25700: History of Film & Cinema Honors; Biochemistry Research; Chemistry Research; Library Archives Research; Psychology Capstones and Research; EVST 32000: GIS Applications

Theatre Capstone Performance
“I Am What I Am: A Celebration of LGBTQ Representation in Plays and Musicals”
4-5 p.m., Renner Theatre
Elizabeth Bauman, Performing Arts

Sugar Day Social – Alumni-Only Reception
4-5 p.m., Kennedy Center

Sugar Day Social – All-Campus Networking Event
5-7 p.m., Kennedy Center

Computer Science and Applied Computer Science Capstones
6-7:30 p.m., Colton 106
Louis Oliphant, Computer Science

Choir and Jazz Ensemble Concert
7 p.m., Frohring Music Hall
Isaac Winland, Performing Arts

Event Photos

View 2023 Gallery

View 2022 Gallery

Past Event Programs

2023 Program

2022 Program

2021 Program

History of Sugar Day

The first Sugar Day was held in 1854 when Alvah Udall invited students and faculty from the College to his camp for a sugar stir. Because the event was so well-received, it was repeated and added to with various celebrations and general merriment year after year. It became a tradition, first sponsored by faculty, and later by an ominous group of senior students known as the Student Senate On Campus Activities Committee. Sugar Day never fell on the same day and few students were “in the know” about the event each year, as it was of great importance to keep the date a secret. The seniors took it so far as tricking other Hiram students and faculty from knowing the event date. According to a 1966 Advance newspaper article, it was believed to be the “most tightly guarded secret in the history of Hiram College.” Any test that was scheduled for the impromptu Sugar Day was postponed.