The Student Government Association (SGA) and Residential Life (Res-Life) co-hosted a Fall Extravaganza in the East/West quad on Oct. 31. The event capitalized on the holiday, offering various fall and Halloween themed activities such as pumpkin carving, fall crafts, and a costume contest.
The event was intended to provide students with an opportunity to hangout and bond with each other and the student organizations involved. The event also offered fall themed treats and lawn games. SGA President and junior legal studies and English major Arielle Hornbaker echoes that the event is important for bonding the community.
“Any opportunities to bring the Lasell community together are vital to the student experience. Events like this allow for students to celebrate the hard work they do on campus and get to know faculty and Res-Life staff better,” Hornbaker said.
Resident Assistant (RA) and sophomore applied mathematics major Jacob Lustig attended the event due to their Res-Life responsibilities. Lustig agreed that the event was a unique opportunity for students to connect, and appreciated the diverse amount of activities provided to captivate the student body.
“With pumpkin carving and a costume contest, the event encompassed the values of Halloween while also having simple fall activities available. Events like the Fall Extravaganza are essential for campus life because they provide something for students to do and allow students to engage with each other and build connections in a fun manner. Being involved with campus events is fun [and] allows students to chat with people outside their usual circles and make bonds with the students around them,” Lustig said.
Cailtin Orsino, SGA vice president of communication and junior communications major, worked at SGA’s craft table. "It was a really great time, Res-Life organized a fun event that engaged a spot on campus that a lot of people don't think to use. We had a good turnout, especially for on-campus events that are often not well-attended, and everyone seemed to enjoy the crafts, snacks, music, and the chance to pie their RA," Orsino said.
Res-Life also offered an opportunity for residents to pie their RAs as a part of the event. RA and junior business management student Paige Jette says that including RAs in events like these are important for creating bonds between RAs and their residents.
“I do think getting RAs involved in events on campus is a good idea as it shows residents we do more than just door tags, bulletin boards, and knock on your door for loud music. It shows that we are students too and that we care about getting to know [our residents] as well. People tend to think RAs are out to get them and prohibit people from having fun and events like this show the opposite of that,” Jette said.
Orsino highlighted the importance of events such as this. "Events that engage the community are so important for us. Since Lasell is such a small school, it's easy to fall into a routine that keeps you going to the same spots on campus, talking to the same small group of people. An event like Fall Extravaganza is a low-stakes opportunity to break up a routine like that by getting some time outside of your dorm, hanging out with people you might not usually see in your classes, and grabbing a fun snack and an activity," Orsino said.
According to Hornbaker, the good turnout and general success of the event makes it something they plan on continuing. Hornbaker says that for future events, incorporating students and student organizations in the planning process is essential, as “student input is crucial to events that occur on campus,” Hornbaker said.