LOGAN DEMOND
Staff Writer
After a yearlong hiatus from regularly scheduled activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a shaky semester following the resignation of former activities director Ana Para, “Welcome Back Week” saw nightly events and hundreds of students in attendance.
This is the new normal according to Samantha Bond, Coordinator of Student Activities and Engagement, who was “very pleased” with the festivities. “Welcome Back Week” consisted of Thresher Bingo night with prizes from the Thresher Shop, a “Dine @ 9” French fry bar, a magic show hosted by Nash Fung, a bracket-style volleyball tournament and Casino Night, which featured several casino classics.
Looking ahead, Bond looks to build off this momentum while alleviating the stressful aspects of event planning, leaving more time to focus on event execution.
“Going forward we will plan each semester ahead of time - so all of Fall '22 events will be decided on the calendar by the end of Spring '22. This will hopefully allow less overlap in activities and will let students know in advance what will be happening on campus so they can mark their calendars,” said Bond.
In continued pursuit of efficiency and effectiveness, Bond is bringing event coordinator positions back to SAC, a feature of the organization just two years ago under former leadership.
“This will allow us to focus on area programming such as series events” like Craft Nights, Dine @ 9s and halftime contests, providing students “with a well-rounded range of events each month,” said Bond.
SAC will continue to build back better outside of event planning, as well.
“SAC will be attending NACA Live, the National Association for Campus Activities regional conference, in early February. This is an opportunity to network with other campus programming board student leaders from across our region to learn what is working on their campus and what isn't. We will attend educational sessions that range from best practices of advertising on campus, to diversity training, to learning to develop intentional self-care practices for overwhelmed students. Additionally, there will be showcases…made for college and university representatives to watch performers ranging from musicians to mind readers to motivational speakers,” said Bond.
From this event, SAC “will be posting performances and links to performers' websites to SAC's Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter so Bethel students can vote on what acts they would like to come to campus this fall!” said Bond.
If you don't follow SAC, you can find them on Instagram @bethelcollegeKS_sac, on Snapchat at @BC_SAC and on Twitter @BC_SAC. If students have event ideas of their own, Bond encourages students to email sac@bethelks.edu.
“It might not be able to happen right away, but maybe it's an event we can see in the upcoming semesters. Students are also more than welcome to stop by my office in the basement of the Admin Building if they want to discuss anything regarding events and programming on campus,” said Bond.
Due to the pandemic and changes in organizational leadership, SAC has not enjoyed consistent turnout in recent years. However, students can rest assured that Bond is helping bring this organization back to its full potential.
In order to sustain the success SAC saw during “Welcome Back Week,” though, “it is vital that each student chooses to comply with Bethel Colleges mask policy so SAC is able to provide programming to the student body,” said Bond.
