Winterfest brings college students seasonal enjoyable – Southern Information

Winter actions, crafts and luxury meals drew college students to the Adanti Student Center Ballroom on Feb. 11 for Winterfest, which served because the college’s spring semester welcome-back occasion. 

Hosted by the Office of Student Involvement, the brand new occasion served as a semester kickoff providing interactive actions, a photograph station, customized airbrushed hats and winter-themed video games alongside snacks and scorching chocolate. 

“We’re really trying to move toward having a lot of signature events that students can look forward to every year,” Vanessa Hunter, a graduate intern for the Office of Student Involvement, stated. “This is kind of our big welcome back event to help people get back into the swing of the semester.” 

Organizers stated planning started late final semester, with employees coordinating distributors and specialty sights, together with the artificial ice rink and craft stations. 

Associate Director Eric Lacharity led vendor outreach and exercise coordination to find out which winter type options could possibly be safely put in indoors and scaled for scholar participation. 

“This has been in talks since the end of last semester, and it took a lot of time to call the vendors, lot of coordination to figure out what was possible,” Hunter stated. 

The occasion is a part of a broader effort to construct recurring campus traditions tied to key factors within the tutorial calendar, significantly at the beginning of the spring time period when engagement can dip attributable to climate and workload. 

Staff members stated Winterfest is meant to operate as each a social outlet and a visibility increase for scholar programming. 

The artificial ice rink and curling lanes attracted steady turnout whereas the snow globe and customized airbrushed hat tables remained busy. 

The scorching chocolate and cookie bar remained busy, with many attendees stopping for refreshments between actions. Friend teams attended collectively whereas others joined between lessons. 

Students described the occasion as a simple, low-pressure approach to socialize with out leaving campus. The mixture of interactive stations and free meals drew each planners and walk-ins. 

Winterfest actions served as a social different to smaller tabling occasions, giving college students a number of methods to take part in a single house. 

The mixture of video games, crafts and meals choices inspired teams to remain longer and take a look at multiple exercise. 

“It just sounded really fun: the activities, the pictures, the hats. And we all didn’t have plans, so we came together,” political science main Emma Gonzalez, a freshman, stated. 

She described the occasion as “fun, delicious and new experiences.” 

Organizers stated occasions like Winterfest are designed not solely as leisure but in addition as early-semester engagement instruments. 

Large, interactive applications give college students alternatives to collect, take part and reconnect after the tutorial break. 

The drop-in format allowed college students to take part with out registering prematurely or committing to a set time block. 

Feedback from this primary yr will form how related occasions are structured in future schedules and what parts develop into recurring options. 

“That’s our hope: to carry it on every year,” Hunter stated. “If students really enjoy certain things, like the synthetic ice rink or the airbrushed hats, we want to bring those back so people have something to look forward to.”