By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
Programming is one of the most important aspects of campus and student life at Western New England University. Each semester, there are over 100 events where students can go to spend time with friends, meet new people, enjoy free food and give-a-ways, and unwind from the stress of classes and homework.
The first two weeks of the fall semester is one of the busiest times for student leaders and staff members. Not only are upperclassmen students moving back onto campus for another year, but first year students are welcomed to the campus community with open arms by the Peer Advisors (PAs), Resident Advisors (RAs), United and Mutually Equal (U&ME), the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership (SIL), and many more campus leaders.
Opening Day, which was held on Wednesday, August 25, was a busy day for everyone. RAs helped check in the first year students and assist them with moving into their Residence Halls while the PAs provided them with a day full of meetings and activities to help settle them into campus. First Night Fest began that evening with Laser Tag in Rivers Memorial Hall, Hypnotist Jim Spinnato in Campus Center A, and complimentary food trucks for all to enjoy.
“Opening Day hands down is probably one of my favorite days of the year,” says Alyssa Caliguri, Associate Director for New Student Programs & Leadership Development in SIL. “Working with such amazing student leaders and watching our new students be welcomed is just a fun experience for me.” Caliguri directly oversees the Peer Advisors and worked tirelessly to ensure that Opening Day and the following days of events ran smoothly.
The PAs are a group of student leaders who directly work with first year students to ensure their transition from high school to college is as smooth as it can be. They have meetings with their advisees throughout their entire first year and act as a general resource for campus information, support, and guidance through the campus community.
Nicholas Karantonis, a senior PA and member of the Peer Advising Steering Committee, says that his favorite part about his role is “pushing my advisees out of their comfort zone and allowing them to grow over the course of their year.” Similarly, senior Steering Committee member Jensen Keough says that her favorite part is “making connections across campus and seeing the connections and impact we all have with the program.”
On Thursday, August 26, the PAs hosted Carnival Night. There were traditional carnival games for first year students as well as a bunch of raffles. These student leaders also hosted a Golden Hours Program on Friday Night with a bunch of yard games and raffles, too.
During the afternoon on Saturday, there were a handful of mini trips for first year students sponsored by the PAs. They were provided transportation to the Holyoke Mall for shopping, Sonny’s Place for mini golf, and Six Flags New England for an amusement park experience. This allowed students to go off-campus on their own while still spending time with their new friends and immersing themselves in the campus community.
Later that night was one of Western New England University’s most well-known and anticipated traditions: Casino Gala. Gala, hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Residence Hall Association (RHA), is always a student favorite, and this was the first one that has been back to normal since fall of 2019 due to the pandemic. This year’s Gala was a Roaring 20s theme — student workers dressed in their sunday best to fit the vibe of the evening. There were blackjack, craps, and roulette tables where students could win raffle tickets, and ice cream and mocktails were served at the event.
“It had great attendance, the students really seemed to enjoy themselves,” said Claire Wright, Assistant Director for Clubs and Organizations in SIL and CAB’s Advisor. “It was really awesome to see CAB and RHA band together to put on a program that not too many of them have ever done before. It wrapped up a couple of crazy weeks of training and planning for the RA’s, RHA, CAB and the PA’s.” Wright says that there were close to 500 students that attended the program throughout the evening.
Next was the PA’s Fun in the Sun(day) program on Sunday afternoon. There were inflatables, a DJ, a dunk tank, and more. Students were able to have one more day of fun before starting classes and officially beginning their academic journey as college students.
The first week of classes, dubbed Welcome Week, had at least one program each day for students to enjoy. Monday night marked a SIL-sponsored concert in Campus Center A featuring HDBeenDope, Tuesday was the Re-Social Network event, Wednesday was grab-and-go succulents, Thursday was a patio fair, Friday was RHAs annual BINGO night, Saturday was the National College Day Block Party, Sunday was CAB’s Movie on the “Lawn” that moved into Rivers Memorial Hall, and Monday was a longstanding first year student transition called BEAR Olympics.
“My favorite event of the past week was ‘Re-Social Network,” says Ryan Mahan, Assistant Director for Programming in the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership. “Altogether, this event was an opportunity for our community to come together and be together for the first time in a long time.”
The BEAR Olympics were held on the afternoon of Monday, September 5. Sponsored by the Office of Residence Life and hosted by the Resident Advisors, it was a beautiful day for some friendly competition between the first-year Residence Halls. Defending the BEAR Olympics title was Berkshire Bandits, who have had the trophy for years now. The other Residence Halls involved were the Commonwealth Chargers, Hampden Heat, Franklin Fury, and LaRiviere Lancers.
After a tug-of-war bracket; a volleyball, dodgeball, and trivia rotation; and a huge game of entourage, the Berkshire Bandits took the trophy once again, beating the second place Lancers and Chargers by one point. In a tie-breaker match of tug-of-war, the Lancers took second place, the Chargers took third, the Fury took fourth, and the Heat came in at fifth. The Bandits took the trophy back home to Berkshire Hall once again.
Overall, the first week and a half of the fall semester for students of Western New England University had at least one program every single day. Whether it was the Campus Activities Board, Residence Hall Association, Peer Advisors, United and Mutually Equal Mentors, or Resident Advisors, returning student leaders stepped up to the plate to make Opening and Welcome Week an utter success.
“I have to say they have been some of the most optimistic students I’ve ever gotten to work with,” says Caliguri about the Peer Advisor staff. “They are just so happy to help them transition and be a resource for their students. They just genuinely want the best college experience for their advisees so they have been going above and beyond to make sure they felt ready to start classes and their first year at WNE.”
Programming and hosting events on a college campus has multiple benefits for students and leaders. “It is important to me to provide students something to do either alone to be able to meet people, or with their friends,” says Wright. “If students have something fun to engage in and somewhere safe and fun to go and do, they are more likely to stick around on the weekends and make those connections and want to really be a part of the campus community.”
Mahan shares similar sentiments, but from a leadership perspective. “College is far more than academics. There are more ways to learn than within the four walls of a classroom,” he says. “Programming supplements a college experience and gives students access to entertainment, leadership, and involvement opportunities. Co-curricular participation, whether by planning programs or attending a Golden Hours weekend event, provides moments of engagement exploration that is difficult to find any other way.”
Students can count on there being something to do on campus every Friday and Saturday night at 8:00p.m. through the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership’s Golden Hour Programming initiative. Follow them on social media @WNE_Involvement to stay up to date, and always check University Posts and flyers around campus, too.
