MC News Briefs: Sept. 29, 2026

From Staff Reports \ Sept. 29, 2026

EDITOR’S NOTE: New this year, The Highland Echo is collecting news briefs about the College, events, activities and news of note that give you greater insight into what’s happening around Maryville College. If you have a suggestion for something specific you’d like to see published, email News Editor Ansley Hoard at [email protected].

Fall Break residence and dining info

Maryville College’s annual Fall Break will take place Thursday, Oct. 1 through Sunday, Oct. 4, and for those planning to stay on campus, there’s no charge to remain in your residence hall, and RAs will be on duty throughout the break. Residents should be aware, however, that Dining Services will close after dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and will not reopen until dinner on Sunday, Oct. 4. Those staying on campus should make alternative arrangements for meals while dining facilities are closed. For additional information, contact Residence Life at [email protected], or Daniel Roselli (’14), associate dean of students and Residence Life Director, at 865-981-8192 or [email protected].

Homecoming around the corner

Make the welkin ring and they will come … or something like that: Maryville College’s annual Homecoming celebration will take place Oct. 23-25, but campus events for students begin even earlier.

Starting Monday, Oct. 19 and running through Sunday, Oct. 25, the MC Alumni Association and Hands of the Highlands volunteer club is organizing a canned food drive. Participants can drop off donations in the Bartlett Atrium, and all goods will be donated to the Scots Supplies Closet.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Knoxville Vintage Market will return to Crawford House from 2-7 p.m., featuring food trucks, vendors, music and Camp 4 activities. The following day, a “Homecoming Mocktail Hour” will take place from 1-2 p.m. in the Center for Campus Ministry (CCM), featuring flights of three to four mocktails, trivia games and information on safe alcohol consumption and harm reduction.

Thursday, Oct. 22, the Office of Community and Belonging will celebrate the legacy of the beloved chihuahua, Chili (buried just outside the Maryville College Cemetery fence) with the inaugural Chili Dog Fest from 4-6 p.m. The annual MC Athletics Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall of the Clayton Center for the Arts (CCA), and come Friday morning, it’s full speed ahead. Specific Homecoming Weekend events include:

• The Founder’s Day Showcase at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the CCA;
• A full concert by the Maryville College Homecoming Choir at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, also in the Nutt Theatre; 
• The Alvin C. Baker (’72) Harvest Craft Fair, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Alumni Gym;
• The SCOT-LAND Fan Zone and children’s area, open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in front of Cooper Athletic Center;
• The annual Homecoming Parade beginning at noon on Saturday, Oct. 24, in front of Carnegie Hall and proceeding down Circle Drive past the Crawford House (and Hands of the Highlands is seeking volunteers to assist with cleaning up Circle Drive afterward);
• The football game vs. Berry College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24; and
• The annual Service of Remembrance at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, in the CCM.

‘Highland Hires’ set for Nov. 4

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Maryville College Career Center will host “Highland Hires,” described as “our flagship career and internship fair,” in the William Baxter Lee III Grand Foyer of the Clayton Center for the Arts.

The annual event brings roughly 50 organizations, businesses, recruiters and nonprofits to the Clayton Center for a tabling event aimed at MC juniors and seniors. It’s designed to fit into a student’s job search alongside other Career Center amenities, said Dr. Niklas Trzaskowski, Career Center director.

“Several of our students are very determined in knowing what they want to do after they graduate,” Trzaskowski told MC Marketing & Communications in 2024. “They often approach these events as an opportunity to discover if an organization will have careers available that match their interest. Many other students use our events as an opportunity to explore and to find out more about organizations as well as opportunities available to them both while they are still in school through internships and after they graduate.”

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and follows six weeks after the Career Center’s Graduate School and Continuing Education Fair, which took place Wednesday, Sept. 23. For more information, call the Career Center at 865-981-8400, or email [email protected]. 

MC Event Passes now available

The Division of Student Affairs is offering an MC Event Pass “to expedite student access to campus events.” The personalized digital pass, according to a post in Today@MC, “can be used to check in at campus events throughout the year, so you’ll always have it ready when it’s time to show up and get involved.” 

To get yours: Visit thecairn.maryvillecollege.edu and sign in using your MC credentials; tap your initials in the top-right corner of the screen; tap the QR code icon beneath your name; then download your Event Pass to your Apple or Google Wallet. Keep it handy there in order to check in at games and other events that require student ID for discounted or free admission.

Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta set

The Latinx Student Alliance and the MC Office of Community and Belonging have scheduled a “Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta” from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Clayton Center for the Arts.

Activities include live mariachi music, traditional food and desserts, folklorico dance, games and more. The event is open to everyone, and admission is free.

Get your Dog on

The Office of Community and Belonging will hold a “Chili Dog Fest” from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at McArthur Pavilion on the edge of the Maryville College Woods.

The event will feature chili dogs for consumption, lawn games, a program on “Chili” — the beloved pet buried just outside of the Maryville College cemetery — and a visit from the therapy dogs of HABIT (Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee), a program by the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Admission is free, and the “Chili Dog Fest” is open to all students.