On Feb. 10, the housing development center hosted Winter Fest in the Marano Campus Center, which offered students the opportunity to take part in activities like crafting gingerbread houses, free ice skating and designing snow globes.
The event was hosted by Residence Life and Housing, which aimed to bring students out for the start of the semester and get them involved on campus.
The website broadcasted free ice skating and rentals, hot chocolate bar, snow globe backdrop for pictures, arts and crafts, prizes for best decorated gingerbread house, music and more.
Community Development Specialist Edward Cruz organized the event, along with several volunteers. He said the purpose of the event was geared toward starting the semester off with a bang and to keep students involved right from the start. To keep up the pace of the semester, it needed that strong opening to make sure students were hooked, he said.
“Winter Fest is a program [that we do], something that is big, something to get students involved or alternatives to other things they could be doing on campus,” Cruz said.
The event took most of the Marano Campus Center facilities into account. Not only could students use the ice rink, but they were also offered free rentals on ice skates. For those less inclined to skating, there were other events like gingerbread house and snow globe creation, which kept the event inclusive to all interests and encouraged students from all backgrounds to get involved.
“You can decorate your own snowflakes and build your own snowglobes,” Cruz said. “There’s a hot cocoa bar, music, so we try to make a fun atmosphere.”
However, the event was not always the same. Originally, it was known as “Silent Hall.” It took place in Funelle Hall and was very different in structure, having various events on a much briefer scale. Now the event has moved into its new location, allowing it to have a wider berth of options for students to enjoy, not to mention the ice rink.
“Last semester, we did something called Silent Hall, which involved minute-to-minute activities in Funelle Hall, but this year, we decided to do it in the center of campus,” Cruz said.
One of the main appeals of the event was that it was geared toward freshmen and recent transfer students, with other events like Laker Fest being hosted during the fall semester instead. Cruz explained that the first weeks of the semester are when things might be the hardest on those students.
Photo by Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian
