SE Campus hosted an inaugural Spring Fest on April 16, offering students games, free hotdogs and prizes aimed at building community and relieving end-of-semester stress. 

Students could participate in friendly competitions in games of volleyball, soccer, a quidditch-inspired football toss and an obstacle course.  

What began with a dozen participants grew into a large crowd of more than 100 students and faculty, filling the outdoor space next to the volleyball court. A line of people stretched through the building as attendees waited to receive wristbands to participate. 

SE Student Development Associate Katie Thomas said she was asked by her supervisor at the beginning of the semester to organize a new outdoor event and decided to schedule it ahead of final exams. 

“Especially during this time, it kind of serves a purpose as an end of year celebration,” Thomas said. “We hope that students also have an opportunity to … engage, and kind of meet new people so that they feel the community.” 

She said they put in a lot of effort to promote the event through flyers, email announcements and posts to the college’s website. 

“It’s a busy time of year, so that was probably the biggest challenge is that there’s a lot going on. But when the students enjoy it, that’s what makes it worth it,” Thomas said. 

Many people had no prior knowledge despite months of advertising the event, according to multiple students in attendance. 

“I was walking around and saw one of the QR codes, and I saw a field of events. So I just tried it out and came here,” student Meddy Elharth said. 

Some students attending were accompanied by their instructors who took them to the event in place of regular instruction. 

“I brought them out here so that they can interact,” Adjunct Instructor Yolanda Smith said. “So, they can have time to just decompress, just to relax, you know have a little fun.”  

Students said the event was a welcome addition and expressed hope it would return. 

“I feel like they’re important because a lot of people that go to community colleges aren’t really that active or don’t really go out as much just because they think things like this are not going to be included,” Elharth said. “But this is nice a lot of people came out here and it looks fun.”