By Alexander Gilbert
It’s fall time at Western New England University, and students are almost fully adjusted to being at school and are looking for new fun things to do. Luckily for students, our campus is located only seven miles away from one of the country’s largest fairs, known as The Big E. The giant fair, located in West Springfield, brings together the joys, agriculture, and shopping vendors of all of New England’s states for people of all ages to enjoy. Many students were able to enjoy this year’s fair, which ran from September 15 to October 1.
The Big E offers many memorable and exciting things to see and do each year, such as the Giant Slide, the butter statue, animals, a parade, the circus, and various performers. This year at the Big E, multiple bands and artists such as Chris Young, Megan Moroney, and Parker McCollum performed for the fair guests. The iconic annual Circus Spectacular yet again wowed people with their world-class circus acts under The Big Top.
Thanks to Western New England University’s Office of Student Involvement and Connections, many students were provided discounted tickets and transportation to The Big E. The tickets were sold at a low price of five dollars compared to the regular admission cost of twenty dollars. Amanda Burrage, the Associate Director of New Student Orientation and Connections, spoke to The Westerner about the University’s decision to offer discounted tickets and transportation to the fair.
Student Involvement strongly believes in providing students with fun activities to help make their college experience special. Burrage and the Student Involvement Office described their thinking that “with the Big E being such a unique local attraction and tradition, we thought it would be a great opportunity to help students explore more of the Western Massachusetts area.” It is very beneficial for college students to become connected with their off-campus surroundings because it helps them adjust to their new home at college. Student Involvement also decided to provide a free, continuously running shuttle on Friday, September 22. This was so “students without access to transportation could attend the fair, and students who do have access to transportation wouldn’t have to worry about parking costs and traffic.” The Big E fair regularly experiences high volumes of stressful traffic, and some students don’t have cars, so the University providing free transportation is greatly appreciated by the campus community.
Burrage explained that “we purchased 125 tickets to sell to students at a discounted price, and we sold out in less than a week.” As the Big E fair is extremely popular, students were extremely eager to pick up discounted tickets to go with their friends. She told The Westerner that they “weren’t sure what the demand would be but since we sold out so quickly, we plan on purchasing more tickets again next year!” Next fall, it is highly likely that Student Involvement and Connections will provide discounted tickets to the fair again, offering students a new way to connect and bond outside of class.
The life of a college student has many moments of high stress and anxiety, so it’s extremely important to have some fun in order to prevent burnout. With days of dealing with large amounts of homework and days of preparing for difficult exams, it is very easy to lose motivation at college. Having exciting events and activities to participate in can greatly improve the mindset and mood of a stressed college student. By being able to hang out with friends and do something fun, students can focus on their personal relationships and refresh their mental state.
The Office of Student Involvement and Connections’ goal is “to offer both on- and off-campus activities to help students explore the local community but also to build connections on-campus.” The campus community greatly benefits from having fun events and activities to bond over.
Burrage let The Westerner know that Student Involvement is “planning on doing more events and programs throughout the year,” so even though the Big E has ended, there is more fun in store!
