The Campus Activities Committee (CAC) was formed this past summer to promote activities on campus that cater to University faculty, staff, and their families. Director of Human Resources Pat Melley and Special Assistant to the President for Board and Campus Relations Marianne Calnen spearheaded efforts to organize upcoming events.

The CAC was brought about following a suggestion by President Michael Roth, who noted a lack of on-campus activities aimed at faculty and staff. He said that the CAC is a way for the University to acknowledge the hard work of faculty and staff.

“We talked last spring about some of the things we could do to show our appreciation for the folks who work here,” Roth said.

By bringing together University employees outside of the context of jobs, the CAC also allows for staff to express themselves in ways that they would normally be unable to do so.

“We also want to show our appreciation in a variety of ways so we came up with the idea of the activities committee to bring out some of the other achievements of the staff,” Roth said. “The staff and faculty members have so many talents you don’t see in their regular job, whether somebody is an extraordinary singer, or photographer, or cook, or writer.”

Melley noted that these activities would allow faculty to participate in campus resources usually offered to students.

“These activities would be held outside of the office and classroom and provide the opportunity for faculty and staff to take advantage of the wonderful resources on campus,” wrote Melley in an email to The Argus.

The CAC hopes to create a variety of cultural events, sports, and instructional forums for the faculty and staff in order to encourage interaction in a more social atmosphere.

The committee consists of staff members from different departments, and encourages any University employees to contribute ideas they have for new events on campus. Three events were planned for the fall semester, beginning with a family day at the football game on Oct. 15.

“We have invited staff and faculty and their families to have lunch and attend a Cardinal football game,” wrote Calnen in an email to The Argus.

During the game, approximately 120 faculty members enjoyed watching Wesleyan beat Bates, and then were treated to complimentary lunches.  The University paid for the lunches, and the proceeds went to supporting the Cardinal sports teams. The CAC also hosted a charity event and dinner in an attempt to strengthen the bond between the faculty and the greater Middletown community.

“[We] organized ‘A Taste of Middletown,’ where more than one dozen local restaurants and hotels [donated] tastings from their menus and we [collected] non-perishable food items for the Amazing Grace Food Pantry,” Calnen wrote.

Visiting Assistant Professor of African American Studies and English Sarah Mahurin expressed her interest in the CAC’s upcoming events.

“It seems like a positive way to get faculty involved in the community,” she said.

The last event hosted by the CAC this semester will be a primer on financial aid for University faculty and staff whose children are applying to college.

“We also hope to plan more activities that are a service for employees, like the financial aid briefing,” Roth said. “And to just find ways to give back to the people who give so much to the University.”