By: Jacob Greene
Hay Day, a Color Run, the Davenport Derby, these are all events that you will have to attend to get all the event specific stickers. If you collect all the stickers, you will be entered in a raffle to win a surprise “gnome” one knows about.
These events include a wide range of activities for all students at Simpson University. One of the main purposes of all these signature events is to give students the framework to establish and build life-long friendships. To kick things off, the first event was a block party with a club fair. The purpose of the club fair serves a similar one to that of the “Sweet Sixteen,” to give students the framework to find common interests and activities to do with each other. Being at a University can be more enjoyable if there are extracurricular activities available that students can engage with peers at. These sixteen signature events were hatched, planned, and set up by Kirsten Crawford (Campus Life Coordinator) and Sarah Jobson (Associate Dean of Campus Life), specifically for you, the student. Jobson had the idea for this by seeing what other colleges do for dedicated events. These events are in addition to regular events and occur throughout the year and are also paid for by students. The cost of these events is actually included in tuition. Utilize the opportunities given to have fun with fellow students.
Each one of these activities has a sticker specific to the event that the said sticker is from. Some events include a barn dance (Hay Day) type event, Gnome-coming, a Color Run, and the Davenport Derby. When you collect all sixteen stickers you will be entered into a raffle. The winner of the raffle wins a secret surprise that only a select few know about. Jobson and Crawford have been working on these extravagant outings and activities specifically for students. As students, we are given the framework to build and make lifelong bonds. All these students have 2-4 years to build friendships. Students all have an incredible chance to have most of the planning done for us. Jobson and Crawford, along with their staff, have handed students 16 exciting events and opportunities to hang out with friends and make new ones. Most of these events, “about eighty percent,” according to Jobson, are on campus. There are some events off-campus but you still will not have to pay extra. This year Hay-Day will be on campus, it will be what Jobson calls “full on Jesus and jean jackets,” which according to her is “one thing Simpson is very much about.” One example of the off-campus events is the Color Run, which will have an awesome sticker.
Behind all the catchy and fun names there are even more exciting reasons to get hooked on participating in these campus life events. Even if someone does not go to all sixteen, that is fine, not everyone can go to all sixteen. But who would want to miss all the fun? Go to as many of these free events as you can (some even have food). Both Jobson and Crawford would implore you to go to as many of these events as you can. Without attending all the signature events it is impossible to collect all the stickers and be entered in the raffle for the surprise that gnome one knows of.