Students Father Weekly At Common Hour
Alyssa Weinstein
Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: Entertainment
Every Tuesday, one can't walk into the Café on any of Mercy College's campuses without noticing an event going on. For the past year, the Center for Student Success and Engagement has been hosting weekly events to get students interacting more with each other during the Student Common Hour between 1 and 2:30 p.m.
For many students, this seems like a pretty great idea. It is something interesting to do on campus that can keep you entertained while waiting for classes, and it gets people talking to one another and being with people they might otherwise not have talked to.
Two weeks ago, it was difficult to miss the carnival booths set up in the café giving out prizes. A different activity is happening on each Mercy campus at the same time, lending to it a sense of fun and continuity. Over Valentine's Day, speed dating was an event for all to participate in. During Black History Month there was a health expo.
Yet carnival games and entertainment are not the only activities that students can attend. The Center has hosted a self-defense class and a blood drive, and has also had a local doctor talk about different health care issues surrounding college students and what they can do to keep healthy on all levels.
The Center wants to provide students with a weekly activity that can take students away from their classes for a little while to enjoy the camaraderie of college. Abby VanVlerah and Caitlin Kruger, who run the program, are very excited about this project and state that there has been a good turnout all year.
Kruger, who is an alumna of Mercy College, says she loves being able to see the students interacting in something exciting during the Common Hour. She said there was no program like this when she was attending Mercy, and that she wished something like this was going on when she was in school.
Student clubs can sponsor events, and there are postings on the bulletin boards around the school, but one needs to go to the office to get the list of activities. The Center wants to create an informational and social common hour. Over the next few weeks, there will be a game show, Deal or No Deal, an international food festival, and many more to come.
The one problem has seemed to be getting the word out. Most students don't know when these activities are happening or they walk in too late. One can find a list of activities the Center is running by going to the office or looking on the bulletin boards.
Suggestions for activities are always welcome and student involvement is a must. So the next time you are sitting around campus wondering what to do on a Tuesday afternoon, head to the café to see what is going on. You might have fun. Or you might just win $100 like the students who won the quiz show trivia event last week.
For many students, this seems like a pretty great idea. It is something interesting to do on campus that can keep you entertained while waiting for classes, and it gets people talking to one another and being with people they might otherwise not have talked to.
Two weeks ago, it was difficult to miss the carnival booths set up in the café giving out prizes. A different activity is happening on each Mercy campus at the same time, lending to it a sense of fun and continuity. Over Valentine's Day, speed dating was an event for all to participate in. During Black History Month there was a health expo.
Yet carnival games and entertainment are not the only activities that students can attend. The Center has hosted a self-defense class and a blood drive, and has also had a local doctor talk about different health care issues surrounding college students and what they can do to keep healthy on all levels.
The Center wants to provide students with a weekly activity that can take students away from their classes for a little while to enjoy the camaraderie of college. Abby VanVlerah and Caitlin Kruger, who run the program, are very excited about this project and state that there has been a good turnout all year.
Kruger, who is an alumna of Mercy College, says she loves being able to see the students interacting in something exciting during the Common Hour. She said there was no program like this when she was attending Mercy, and that she wished something like this was going on when she was in school.
Student clubs can sponsor events, and there are postings on the bulletin boards around the school, but one needs to go to the office to get the list of activities. The Center wants to create an informational and social common hour. Over the next few weeks, there will be a game show, Deal or No Deal, an international food festival, and many more to come.
The one problem has seemed to be getting the word out. Most students don't know when these activities are happening or they walk in too late. One can find a list of activities the Center is running by going to the office or looking on the bulletin boards.
Suggestions for activities are always welcome and student involvement is a must. So the next time you are sitting around campus wondering what to do on a Tuesday afternoon, head to the café to see what is going on. You might have fun. Or you might just win $100 like the students who won the quiz show trivia event last week.
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