Summer is upon us, Cairn Students!  Just this past weekend, Cairn University students witnessed a plethora of events take place across campus to get them ready for the summer that awaits them.  Students had several options to choose from when it came to indulging in all their summer dreams.  To do due diligence to the student body here at Cairn University, I stopped by 3 different events to check out the positives and negatives, as well as see how other students felt about the events.

First, Student Life got things going with a summer barbeque, equipped with several key features such as free food, volleyball, dancing, and a moon bounce.  The reception from the event was very positive, and the Heritage front lawn was jam packed with students anxious to get a free bite to eat and dance their worries away.  Personally, I thought the event was well put together and very well done by the crew at Student Life.  The food was good, and there were several sides to snack on while students were waiting on the grill.  Obviously, the moon bounce was a blast; providing an to unleash one’s inner kid makes the event more satisfying in my eyes.  All in all, a really fun time was had by everyone present, and you can chalk up event number one as a success.

Second, at the same time as the Student Life barbeque was taking place, Cairn’s Health and Physical Education Club (HPEC) was throwing a cookout of their own.  Being that the tailgate took place during the baseball and softball games on Friday, the location could not have been any better.  They were situated right outside the Mason Activity Center, so one could catch a good glimpse of both games at the same time. The food was fairly good, and while they did not have as many snacks as the “Student Life Summer Party” they still held their own in the food department.  The inclusion of Soft Pretzels to the tailgate, as well as “Bacon Cheddar Burgers” made this tailgate a must attend.  Benjamin Chapman, the Vice President of the HPEC club made sure everyone was fed and happy. While there were not as many people who attended this event, the response from everyone who did attend was generally positive. Another solid event.

Finally, Manor Residence Halls put on a slightly unique event to close out the year.  Dubbed “Poultry and Praise,” Students from all residence halls gathered together to share one last quality meal together before the beginning of summer break.  In the food department, the medal has to go to this event for serving the attendees free steak as the meal.  However, the most unique and powerful aspect of the event was the students gathering round and worshiping together.  It was truly moving to see almost 100 students singing “Amazing Grace” before heading their separate ways. Assistant Resident Director Mark Huseland did an excellent job putting on this event, and the reception among students from not only Manor, but other residence halls as well was positive.

Before you know it, finals will have concluded and students will be leaving campus briefly for summer break.  When you return next semester, think of all the hard work your RA’s, ARD’s, RD’s, and Club President’s put in to put on events for you as a student body, and maybe, just maybe, show up for an event they put on.  Trust me, it might be more fun than you think.