LeoCon: Third time and charming

The Sigma Phi Phi or “Syphers” student organization, led by faculty advisor Dr. Robin Reid, hosted its third annual LeoCon event on Saturday, March 29, 2014.

LeoCon melds panels and events of scholarly and fan interest in science fiction, fantasy and popular culture.

“We had a goal of 200 attendees,” says Reid. “Based on our sign-in sheets alone, we exceeded that goal.”

It is not hard to see the appeal of the event to the university's campus population. The Syphers are promoters of their passions, be it comics, anime, gaming and/or cosplay, just to name a few. The Hall of Languages was abuzz with students and faculty members decked out in their con attire (including Professor Herndon in his famous Doctor Who outfit). Presentations included University of California, Riverside professor Sherryl Vint's talk, “Varieties of Human Experience: Alien, Android and Animal” and several workshops on gaming, creating comic book pages and publishing. Attendees had the opportunity to meet author Martha Wells and technical director and visual effects artist Nathan Arbuckle. The day was packed with several other panels, a Yu-Gi-Oh game tournament, anime jeopardy, and it ended with the traditional costume contest and LeoCon dance.