By Jason Lin
In hopes of helping Brooklyn College students get back into the groove of school life after the summer break, the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center collaborated with the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) to host a Welcome Bash last Tuesday, Sept. 5, on the West Quad. The event served as a carnival-like atmosphere on campus with various games and snacks.
“We want to show the BC community that you don’t have to go to a huge state school to have student life – we can make it happen right here through USG and club events,” said Carrie Ebbin, president of USG and a junior at BC.
The BC Welcome Bash showcased an exciting way to kick off the semester and branch out to other campus locations outside the classroom. The bash brought about an attempt to imitate the previous spring semester carnival event filled with inflatables, cotton candy, fresh popcorn, life-sized games, music, and more. USG also provided iced waters and ice pops to help students cool down from the heat, stay calm and hydrated, and keep a joyful, happy spirit.
“I would want to get in contact again with the same vendor doing the laser tag because that was fun. That made my day playing laser tag […] I never seen a campus put on a game like that in the Quad, and I felt like there were way more people,” said Steven Brown, a junior at BC.
Prior to the event, USG received around 550 RSVPs to attend the bash. As the first West Quad fall semester event, USG wanted to take this as a learning process to make the next event even better. It is just a matter of execution; every event brings the BC community closer.
“Being the first big Quad [event] of the semester, we had to work hard to work out all the details from Quad layout to which food options to go over,” said Ebbin. “Our team worked tirelessly with SAIL to make it all happen and also problem-solved on the spot to make sure everything ran smoothly.”
Collaborations between SAIL and USG foster a vibrant campus atmosphere. These organizations regulate educational, cultural, and social programs, and ensure fiscal responsibility for all clubs and teams hosting events.
“I’ve been hanging out with some friends and getting some drinks […] I also actually enjoyed the mini basketball game they placed. It was fun overall,” said BC senior Michel Policard.
The Welcome Bash set the tone for the potential of what USG’s events can offer. Future events are expected to be more engaging, popular, and inviting as the scolding hot summer ends and we enter the cooling embrace of the fall season.
“We can’t wait to screen ‘Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse’ during our Movie Night on the Quad on September 28. We have more events in the pipeline, including the USG co-sponsored ISSO [Immigrant Student Success Office] Birthday Bash on September 14, the USG co-sponsored Career Fair with the Magner Career Center in October, and an exciting Halloween Bash at the end of October,” Ebbin eagerly told The Vanguard.