Wright Brothers Day seeks to bring innovation to campus

Homecoming Week took off with Wright Brothers Day, which was held in the Student Union Atrium on Monday, Oct. 7 from 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Wright Brothers Day consisted of a variety of businesses and organizations brought in to interact with the student body, including Calamityville, Living Laboratory, and multiple smartphone applications.

Spencer Rupp, a senior English major, said he liked Wright Brothers Day.

"I'm enjoying it so far," Rupp said. "I got a lot of cool things. I really liked the flight simulator and I think Calamityville is a pretty cool idea." Speeches from the great-grandniece of the Wright Brothers and a general from the Air Force Museum were presented, as well as a reading of the Governor’s resolution that declares Wright Brothers Day a state holiday.

A “Wright Flyer simulation” put together by National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA), free pizza and Wright Brothers impersonators were also included in the festivities.

Jared Holloway, President of the Marketing Club/AMA, said that the event was intended to display the innovation of these organizations.

“We wanted to pair it with the Wright Brothers to kind of harbor off their innovative spirit, to go along with them and showcase all of these other innovations too,” said Holloway.

Holloway said he believes that the event will have a positive impact on the attitudes of Wright State among students.

“I would probably say at least half of [the businesses and organizations] are already somehow connected to Wright State,” said Holloway. “Wright State, to most students, doesn’t seem like a research school with top-notch innovation, so it shows them all that we can do and have done.”

"I love that they made [Wright Brothers Day] a tradition,” said junior communication studies major Sallina Poole. “When you come here, it's not one of the first things you think of...but then you learn about it and you realize how cool they are."

Vice President of Finance for the Marketing Club/AMA Natalee Doellman is also hoping for a change in student opinion.

“I know that as a big commuter campus, a lot of people just come for classes and they leave,” said Doellman. “But I really want them, after they come to the event, to be more excited and see how they can grow in their own fields just as the Wright Brothers did.”