Service Week, A-Week coincide to mix fun and service

LIS STEWART

    Students can find prizes while picking up litter and also win a pair of glow-in-the-dark underwear as part of Service Week.

    This year, Service Week is combining with A-Week, making it an even bigger event with more service opportunities, according to Service Week committee member Amanda Allen.

    “There’s so many opportunities to serve,” Allen said. “There’s a project to fit everyone’s schedule. Anyone can make a difference on campus during Service Week.”

    Service was part of the original tradition of A-Week, and now service will be a focus of the week again, said Andrew Gooch, the A-Week vice president in the Student Alumni Association.

    “When A-Week began 102 years ago, a focus was on campus and community service,” Gooch said. “Through the years, it has evolved and more and more activities have been added.”

    Gooch said this year it was more sensible to combine the weeks because of limited resources.

    The week kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on the TSC Patio with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and games, according to a schedule provided by the Service Week committee. The Red Bull chariot race begins at 7 p.m. at the corner of 800 E. and 700 North, and students will compete for a trip to Austin, Texas.

    One of the big events of the week will be the campuswide litter push, said Rickie Warr, a Service Committee member. Prizes will be given out during the litter push, in which teams and individuals will cover areas of campus to clean up litter, she said. Teams check in at the TSC Patio at 11 a.m. Tuesday and at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

    Tuesday night, A-Week organizers will host a performance of mentalist Craig Karges, Gooch said. Karges performed on campus for the Mardi Gras celebration in 2011, he added.

    A Service Fair in the TSC International Lounge on Wednesday will showcase opportunities to serve at nonprofit organizations on and off campus.

    The Glow in the Dark 5-kilometer Undies Race begins 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on the Quad, and modest clothing is required. According to the schedule, the first 100 participants will receive glow-in-the-dark underwear.

    Warr said there are projects available to fit everyone’s schedule, during mornings and afternoons. At 7 p.m. in the TSC International Lounge, humanitarian kits will be put together to send to Third World countries. A service fair will be held in the same place earlier in the day at 9:30 a.m.

    A beautification project of the steps by the Aggie Terrace near the Living Learning Center will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, and then Saturday includes a highway cleanup in the morning at the Alumni House and a service day at the Logan Recreation Center.

    Clubs, food vendors and companies will set up booths Friday on the Quad for A-Day. This year, the Utah-based lip balm company Kisstix is sponsoring A-Day, including Day on the Quad and True Aggie Night.

    Students have chances to serve year-round in addition to the multiple opportunities during Service Week, Gooch said, referring to the Val R. Christensen Service Center as one place in particular that sponsors service.

    “There are so many great opportunities to serve here on campus,” Gooch said. “I think that’s what makes Utah State great, is our ability and ambition to help other people.”

    Allen said students looking for service opportunities should inquire at the Service Center on the TSC’s third floor.

    “USU has so many service organizations, and it’s super easy to find one to join,” she said.

– la.stewart@aggiemail.usu.edu