This Week at Rochester

Thursday, October 1 → Thursday, October 8, 2026
Lectures, music, sports, performances, art, and campus oddities worth leaving your room for.

Updated October 1, 2026 · All times Eastern · Past weeks · Current class-update excerpt

STAFF PICKS

Seven starting points for the week.

Thursday–Sunday · Campus-wide

Meliora Weekend

October 1–4. Headliners include Amna Nawaz, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Nick Offerman, with performances, open houses, and family activities. Use the live schedule for individual times, admission, and availability.

Friday · Music

Alarm Will Sound: Homecoming

8 PM · Kodak Hall. Electronica played by an acoustic ensemble. TICKETED.

Saturday · Sports

Make a day of home sports

Volleyball at noon and 4; football at 1; men’s soccer at 5; women’s soccer at 7:30. Full opponents and venues below.

Monday · Theater / Talk

Rachel Chavkin on making theater

5–6 PM · Zoom. The Hadestown director joins Nigel Maister. RSVP REQUIRED.

Wednesday · Talk

AI Coffee Salon: What should we trust?

1–2 PM · Welles-Brown Room, Rush Rhees. An informal discussion of information and credibility. FREE.

Thursday, October 8 · Economics

Pablo Peña: Human Capital for Humans

3:30 PM · Morey 321. An accessible introduction to the economic science of people.

Thursday, October 8 · Theater

Big Love: opening night

8 PM · Smith Theatre, Sloan Performing Arts Center. Greek myth, freedom, desire, and a post-show reception. TICKETED.

Meliora Weekend, October 1–4: this digest highlights events across the University; the full weekend schedule includes many additional reunions and gatherings. Check registration and availability before heading to a headline event.

Thursday, October 1

ARTS

Fall 2026 Writer's Lounge

5:00 PM–7:00 PM · Rush Rhees Library, Humanities Center Lounge

Bring writing, exchange ideas, and enjoy refreshments.

REGISTRATION

Friday, October 2

TALKS / LECTURES

MEL WKND 26: The Human Side of AI

4:00 PM–5:00 PM · Raymond F. LeChase Hall, The Genrich-Rusling Room (215)

Simon’s Dan Keating and Warner’s Yu Jung Han discuss learning, judgment, and expertise in an age of AI.

FREE · Meliora registration

TALKS / LECTURES

Is Voting Worth It?

6:00 PM–7:30 PM · Susan B. Anthony Museum & House, Carriage House, 17 Madison Street

The voting series opens with a discussion of civic participation. Registration deadline was September 29; check with the organizer about availability.

FREE · advance registration

MUSIC

Alarm Will Sound: Homecoming

8:00 PM · Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Electronic music performed on acoustic instruments: the Eastman-founded ensemble returns with New Acoustica.

TICKETED

MUSIC

Meliora Weekend: JamSesh with NJR

9:00–11:00 PM · Location available through CCC

Music with No Jackets Required’s current members and alumni.

CCC sign-in for venue

Saturday, October 3

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Late Night: Retro Arcade & Board Game Night

9:00–11:55 PM · Location available through CCC

Listed on the Late Night organizer calendar; open CCC for access and venue details.

CCC sign-in for venue

Sunday, October 4

MUSIC

Going for Baroque

1:30 PM and 3:00 PM · Memorial Art Gallery

Two short organ performances; second performance at 3 PM.

FREE

MUSIC

Eastman Chorale

3:30 PM · Kilbourn Hall

Choral music by Ravel, Brahms, Messiaen, Bach, and others.

FREE · livestream

Monday, October 5

THEATER / DANCE

Todd Talk: Rachel Chavkin

5:00 PM–6:00 PM · Online · Zoom

The Tony-winning director of Hadestown talks about her career with Nigel Maister.

RSVP REQUIRED

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Paws for Stress Relief

6:00 PM–7:15 PM · Goergen Athletic Center

A study break with visiting therapy dogs.

Tuesday, October 6

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Experiential Learning at Simon

9:00–9:45 AM · Online

Immersions, case work, and real-world experience in Simon programs.

REGISTRATION

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Destress Fest

5:00 PM–7:00 PM · Rush Rhees Library, Welles-Brown Room

Crafts, cocoa, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Drop in for a study break.

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Sound Bath x Acupuncture

5:30 PM–6:15 PM · Rush Rhees Library, Hawkins-Carlson Room

Sound Bath x Acupuncture sessions for undergraduate and graduate students; a second session begins at 6:30 PM.

RSVP REQUIRED

Wednesday, October 7

TALKS / LECTURES

Data Bloom: Visualize with Python

10:30 AM–12:00 PM · Online

Learn Python visualization with River Campus Libraries. Register for the online workshop link.

REGISTRATION

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

YoUR Market

11:00 AM–2:00 PM · Sarah Flaum Atrium

Local food and craft vendors at the medical center.

REGISTRATION

TALKS / LECTURES

AI Coffee Salon - the 2nd Meeting

1:00 PM–2:00 PM · Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, Welles-Brown Room

What—and whom—should we trust in the age of AI? An informal library conversation about information and credibility.

FREE

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Humanities Center Social Hour

4:00 PM–5:00 PM · Rush Rhees Library, Humanities Center Lounge, Room 212

Conversation and refreshments for faculty and graduate students across River Campus, Eastman, and URMC.

REGISTRATION

Thursday, October 8

TALKS / LECTURES

Coffee with Homer

9:00 AM · Wilson Commons, 409 Havens Lounge

Discuss Homer’s Iliad over coffee or breakfast. Consult the event page for the assigned reading.

REGISTRATION

TALKS / LECTURES

Pablo A. Peña: Human Capital for Humans

3:30 PM · Morey Hall 321

University of Chicago economist Pablo A. Peña discusses his accessible introduction to the economic science of people. Date, time, and room confirmed on the Economics department announcement.

ARTS

Fall 2026 Writer's Lounge

5:00 PM–7:00 PM · Rush Rhees Library, Humanities Center Lounge

A casual gathering for writers to share ideas, critique work, and enjoy refreshments.

REGISTRATION

OTHER CAMPUS EVENTS

Paws for Stress Relief

6:00 PM–7:00 PM · Eastman School of Music, Student Living Center, Orchestra Pit

Therapy dogs visit Eastman’s Student Living Center.

THEATER / DANCE

Big Love by Charles L. Mee

8:00 PM · Sloan Performing Arts Center, Smith Theatre

Opening night and a post-show reception. Charles L. Mee’s play brings a Greek myth of fleeing brides into a modern collision of freedom, desire, and tradition.

TICKETED · $10–$20

Art to catch during the week

ARTS

Fischli & Weiss: The Way Things Go

A film built around a remarkable chain reaction, in MAG’s Media Arts Watch Gallery. Same museum hours; included in museum admission.

SOURCE HEALTH

  • University calendar: day pages intermittently returned rate-limit errors. The public event feed was available; all pages for October 1–7 and a separate October 8 query were read. Times above use the source’s Eastern-time timestamps, avoiding search snippets that display Pacific time.
  • Corrections and duplicates: the current Wing Lecture listing gives Hylan 1106a for October 1, replacing the room in last week’s digest. The two Clare Dennison Lecture listings were combined. The Laurent Dubreuil AI lecture now lists October 21, so it is not included in this week.
  • Eastman: its separate calendar supplies concerts absent from the central feed. The October 4 Performance Plus concert at George Eastman Museum is marked POSTPONED. It is not promoted as an available performance.
  • Athletics: official individual schedules were checked for fall sports, including football, both soccer teams, field hockey, volleyball, both cross-country teams, tennis, golf, rowing, and swimming. Home and away listings are distinguished. The composite calendar does not expose its entries in a simple text view.
  • CCC / student activities: Late Night’s organizer page and accessible direct event pages confirm the dates. Several venues require sign-in; the October 3 arcade event’s direct page returned an access error, so its organizer listing is the available confirmation. Check CCC before attending.
  • Economics / Wallis: Peña’s book talk is confirmed by the Economics department announcement. Weekly workshop pages show standing meeting times but did not expose date-specific speakers; those standing slots are not presented as confirmed events. Wallis confirms Jenkins on October 8 with topic TBD.
  • Coverage: Humanities, GIDS-AI, River Campus Libraries, Simon, Warner, Theatre/Sloan, MAG, and Arthur Satz Music contributed current listings. Dance and Movement’s page displayed an unpopulated calendar widget; no separate dance event could be confirmed for this window.
  • Meliora Weekend: the detailed schedule is a Cvent embed. The official schedule link is retained for the full program and current headliner availability; no individual headliner time or sold-out status has been guessed.

Event pages remain the authority for changes, admission, and registration. This is a broad, curated campus digest, not every appointment, closed meeting, or clinical training session.

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