OPINION
MU Needs More Week-long Activities
Jensen Lassiter
With the recent conclusion of Pride Week and the start of Homecoming, the fun of the festivities will linger in Manchester University students' minds. While MU does a fantastic job of providing students with fun activities throughout the year, week-long activities are few and far between. Wouldn't it be great to have an entire week dedicated to different events or causes?
The more activities a community has, the more engaged its citizens are, and engaged students could make Manchester a thriving community. If clubs and committees on campus could rally together and come up with ideas for long-term events on campus, students may find it easier to get involved in the MU community.
One way to get students involved is to hold events for a cause. A prime example is Breast Can-cer Awareness Month, which is the month of October. Schools and communities across the country are dressing up in pink to spread awareness and to raise funds for cancer research. MU should be inspired to do something as well, because charitable events, such as auctions or fund-raisers and community service, can contribute to a better community for all.
Engagement also reduces stress, as do animals when they are brought into the stressful colle-giate environment and introduced to the students. Imagine a week full of fluffy animals and other animal-themed events. Fundraisers and charity events benefiting animals and shelters could be the driving force for the activities planned. MU's A Capella Choir just hosted a Dog Wash; this may be a good starting point. Trips to the Wabash County Animal Shelter or dog shows could be added to the roster to create a week-long string of festivities.
In order to execute this idea, different clubs at MU could volunteer to host week-long events. With this increase in activities, student involvement would increase significantly. This involve-ment isn't the only driving force behind the idea, but making a difference in the community and the lives of others is just as important. Each club or organization that contributes to the growing number of activities not only allows its members to be excited and fully engaged, but allows for an increase in experience and fun for their classmates. If every club and organization participat-ed and helped contribute a week’s worth of events, the school calendar could be so full, it might be impossible to pick which activity to attend.