It’s only been two weeks here at CMU, yet we have already seen many events happening on campus.
That’s how it is every year. The school does a great job getting the newcomers comfortable with the campus and aiding in them making friends through the power of fun. What’s different about this year? Many clubs and organizations on campus took a chance on putting in more money to make it more fun, and they hit a home run. Student involvement has been at an all-time high this year. It seems like it was just last week that a certain Criterion editorial called out the student body for not being a part of the things that the clubs work hard on putting together.
With this year’s new freshman class, attendance at all the events has been incredibly high. When The Avengers was shown in the University Ballroom during the first week, over 800 people showed up. That’s a big turnout for just a movie.
Even better is that most people dressed up as a super hero, which made it that much more fun. The Wet and Wild Bash and the Toga Party had a full capacity turnout, which wouldn’t have happened just a year ago. There was even a table to have street signs personally made that didn’t cost a penny. And Saturday was the very anticipated, controversial 3OH!3 concert on campus. The whole debate for at least six months was if it was worth dropping that much money on a concert. With over 3,300 people showing up for 3OH!3, the answer was very simple: it was worth every single dime to bring in the band. The time of day, the extra events around the stage and the beer garden made the whole day really special.
So what does it mean in the long run? With all the student support, we can expect even bigger things to happen on campus. Clubs and orgs will be more willing to take the bigger risks to make good things happen. We can also compete with the “big” campuses of Colorado in on-campus events. It’s a special start to the school year. The participation is very high and that makes for a lively campus, which is a pleasant change.
The next goal for everyone is to pack the stadiums when the Mavericks come to play at home. But with this early success for all the clubs on campus, that shouldn’t be a problem.