Student Life Articles

Students eased into Fall Break with a relaxing Wildcat Wednesday at "The Rock" this past week, spray-painting ceramic pumpkins as a timely takeaway. The popular series, an unpredictable variety of activities hosted by the Student Engagement Office, will resume Oct. 18.

The Office of Student Engagement observed National Coming Out Day on Wednesday, a day of empowerment and visibility for individuals from all walks of life to proudly share their authentic selves with the world. Stations in the Bush Campus Center lobby let the campus community learn more LGBTQIA+ history; write notes to those who need encouragement, kindness or love; and to win prizes, play games and take photos.

A coalition of faith-based organizations, led by United Campus Ministry, recently collaborated on a "Rise Up" event that collected $118 on behalf of Penn College's food pantry. "We're all here for the same reason," said UCM President Samir K. Pringle, a business administration student from Philadelphia. "I'm a believer in finding opportunities to serve. If you can do something, you should do something."

Week in, week out, throughout each semester, the Office of Student Engagement aims to please its campus audience with delightful diversion from lab time and homework. Look no further to this past weekend, which ran the gamut from miniature golf to the biggest turkey leg you've ever gnawed upon.

The "Alive! Mental Health Fair," hosted by the Office of Student Engagement on Tuesday, welcomed participants into an open conversation about mental illness and warning signs of suicide. For several hours in the Bush Campus Center, students took part in revealing exercises – separating myth from fact, for instance, and giving anonymous voice to fears and concerns – designed to foster a campus atmosphere of hope and help.

Student teams gave it their all during Wildcat Wars, a grueling and gladiatorial contest of wills and wiles, that was won in a Friday night squeaker.

Students and employees planted flags, wrote thank-you notes to veterans and first responders, made paper cranes and more during a day of service to remember the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Even in this young semester, one can't help but notice the volume and variety of activities arranged by the Office of Student Engagement. In just the past week, for instance, "Wild, Wild Wildcats" could take a Saturday spin on a bucking bovine, take Tuesday afternoon to check out part-time jobs and everyday adventures at Fall Fusion, and "Taste the World" of global interconnectedness on a glorious Wednesday.

Friday's scheduled "Outdoor Movie Night" was moved indoors by threatening weather, but proved – in spite of the relocation – that dinosaurs (and students' attraction to big-screen entertainment) will never be truly extinct.

Students eased into the fall semester with the help of smoochy pooches and summery refreshment, as Counseling Services reprised its traditional "Hot Dog, You're Here!" event on Wednesday evening. About a dozen Penn College employees brought their canine companions to campus to meet students, the latest edition of a program first offered in August 2010.