Day on the Quad
Early Wednesday morning, students heading off around campus were able to witness the transformation of the Quad into an acre of fun, music, food,and information. By 10 a.m., things were in full swing and the Day on the Quad was underway.
Throughout the day, music could be heard across the Quad as well as some nearby classrooms.
Although the Quad has always been a place to relax, today students could chill in the sun as they were entertained by the live bands “Smooth Like James” and “Royal Bliss.”
The Aggie tradition aims to help students become involved and learn some of the things that really go on around campus. Those attending were able to sign up for several clubs and sports including rugby, chess and multi-cultural clubs.
Sororities and fraternities were also there to answer students’ questions about going Greek. Viridiana Garcia of Theta Nu Xi says she loves being a member of her sorority and the opportunities it offers to become involved with community service. She thinks the Day on the Quad is “good for everyone. [The students] get to know all of the clubs.”
Departments were also showing their best colors as the explained to undergraduates the different aspects of their respective colleges.
The College of Agriculture was popular with free root beer floats, but also offered information about their programs to interested students.
Other campus programs were also present, helping students with information about campus jobs, the A-Team, ASUSU and STAB.
The library was also in sight and certainly attracted attention by offering students a chance to dunk the librarian.
The Wildlife Society displayed a booth complete with various examples of taxidermy to catch student’s attention.
While some booths were there to help students become involved academically or with extracurricular programs, others helped students with questions about the community. Students said that they enjoyed the chance to talk with the police department about setting up a neighborhood watch.
The National Guard also arrived to inform students about opportunities college students could obtain through the Guard’s different programs.
Local businesses were also able to get in on the action. While students milled around the Quad, they were able to check out options for cellular plans, banking and even grocery shopping.
While crossing the Quad, students could apply for a Smith’s student Fresh Values card, compare rates between Sprint and other cell phone providers and find almost any other service they could possibly need as a student here in Logan.
Since 1998, the Day on the Quad has become a traditional part of the Week of Welcome for students at USU And although it is a great chance for businesses, clubs, and departments to recruit, it has its perks for students as well: free stuff.
The Student Wellness Center, which provides students education on health and wellness issues, gave away their entire supply of 600 donuts by noon – an amount which had lasted them the entire time in previous years.
Wells Fargo offered free Creamies to promote their free student checking. Students walking around campus could be spotted with a handful of coupons, reminders and limited-time offers.
The Quad offers a central setting to display all these organizations at once. Even students who weren’t planning to attend for a long period of time could catch some of the show as they crossed the grass to their next class.
Due to the efforts of ASUSU and everyone else involved, Wednesday was quite a day, on the Quad.
-eliseras@cc.usu.edu
Al Garner, coach of the USU Lacrosse club talks to Micah Black, junior in civil engineering. (Scott Patterson)
Members of the Hispanic Student Union enjoy some chips and salsa while running their booth on the quad. (Scott Patterson)