As Student Activities Coordinator, I have been blessed with the unique opportunity to plan activities and events for the energetic students of Life West. Student activities are one of the awesome ways our college allows students to shut their doctor brains off and connect with their fun colleagues. In the past this has been done through competitive games, fun outings, trivia or just some great food. The goal of Student Activities is to connect outside of the classroom in a way that includes our families and significant others.
Gathering for student activities has really challenged the creativity of our students. In efforts to cooperate with county requirements during these different times, all student activities have gone virtual. The blessing in disguise is that now more students are able to participate in multiple activities because of the ease of attendance. Budget and dates were creatively manipulated so that students who usually can’t participate because of lack of childcare or limited clinic hours are now able to participate in more events. Students who remain local to the area or have travelled back home for the quarter were all given a chance to remain connected to our wonderful Life West community through student activities.
Current Activities:
Virtual Activities Fair
Every quarter is kicked off with an Activities Fair where clubs are invited to set up booths in hopes of introducing themselves to the student body, recruiting members, and spreading the word on their role in the chiropractic community. The vibrant energy of a new quarter and new students on campus spreads through the fair like wildfire. It’s not long before someone at the fair lets the homemade mac and cheese from SABCA’s booth, coffee from Peds Club, and nutritious shakes from the MLS booth take control of their body as they dance in front of our loudspeaker. In addition to enjoying the free food, people win prizes and free merchandise when they attend the fun-filled Activities Fair.
Instead of gathering in person this quarter, the entire college was invited to a Virtual Activities Fair. All of the awesome Life West clubs opened their video platforms to interact with students. Students got their questions answered and some even received free giveaways! In upcoming quarters, the goal is to find an easy way to navigate all of the different club booths and increase free giveaways. It would also be fun to see a more competitive side of the Fair where students can compete to win great prizes.
Book Club hosted by the Equality Council
The inspiring Hannah Dewey is leading in the Book Club reading of Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides. Hannah started off Book Club with a moment of silence for the bombing that took place in Lebanon and in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombings was also recognized in a moment of silence. In their first meetings the group discussed how the 33 Chiropractic Principles relate to the reading. Book club will gather through week 10 on Tuesday’s at 5:30pm. Hannah has dived into the opportunity to create a safe space to discuss the goals of the fight for equality in our community at Life West, the chiropractic community and the country. Her goal is to awaken the love within the community of chiropractic students to fight for equality and to encourage complete, genuine self expression throughout all communities. We often hear BJ’s famous quote “You never know how far reaching something you think, say or do today, will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.” Hannah Dewey’s drive for education on equality is a drop in the river that will cause the farthest reaching ripples. She is who BJ was talking about. Her hard work and dedication is paving the way for so many future students and chiropractors. Students are still able to join the Book Club and receive a free copy of Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides.
Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest hosted by MLS
Fifteen artistically creative Life West students competed in a Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest. After students signed up, they received a set of chalk to be used in the creation of their unique art piece. The activity was a fantastic opportunity to get outdoors to soak up the great weather and work out innate creativity. Submissions were sent in and the entire student body was given the opportunity to vote on their favorite pieces. After a week of voting, first and second place winners were announced. The competition was close but, in the end, the artist Alexis Griffith won the first-place prize of $300, and the creative Van Pham won the second-place prize of $200. All entries were stunningly creative. The entire student body thoroughly enjoyed admiring their classmates’ creativity.
Virtual Paint Night hosted by Peds Club
Peds Club hosted our campus’ first Virtual Paint Night. Typically Paint Night takes place on campus but this was a very successful alternative. Students enjoyed each other’s virtual company as they each painted their own 16×20 canvas of their favorite animal. Canvases were delivered right to each student’s individual location at no cost to them. Local students and students who travelled back home for the quarter were able to participate. It will be great to see all of the wonderful paintings once they have been completed.
Polymer Clay Contest
Each student who signed up for the Polymer Clay Contest was shipped a special set of polymer clay for free. The participants dug deep to create a unique piece of art using the clay and then allowed it to dry or baked it. Participants submitted an image of their sculpture from all around the country. Similar to the Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, the entire student body had the opportunity to vote on their favorite creation. Our first place student won $300 and the second place winner won $200.
Future Activities:
Murder Mystery Dinner Party
For our biggest event of the quarter, we will finally have a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. The dinner party will be hosted by our esteemed Gonstead club. Groups that sign up to participate will receive a boxed murder mystery kit and $100 to fund the dinner portion of the night. Each group will have one organizer who will narrate and guide the 6-8 guests through the mystery. At specific checkpoints, each organizer will check back in with the virtual platform with questions or updates. The goal is to discover the murderer of the dinner party. This is a great opportunity to change up the activity within social circles and ‘chirohouses’ while still following county recommendations for social distancing.
How to get involved
With times the way they are, we need to make a conscious effort to stay connected. Before March, it was easy to connect. We almost didn’t even have to think of it. It happened subconsciously through body language or short exchanges of small talk. Now more than ever, with the face coverings and the distance communication, we need to find creative ways to have fun with the people we know and love. Getting involved in these activities is a great way to spend time with the wonderful familiar faces of Life West. You can get involved by emailing me at DTapnio@college.lifewest.edu and keeping up to date with the student calendar. The student body Facebook page is another way to find out what’s going on campus.