On Friday, Nov. 7, the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) Cardinal Programming Board hosted its second annual Fall Fest celebration. Unlike last year, this year’s Fall Fest was indoors, held in the newly completed Usdan flex dining space from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Despite its limited space, the room was situated well for the event.
“Flex Dining was great for being in the center of action and visibility, which attracted many people who were simply just walking by,” Assistant Director of Student Involvement Gina Pacitto wrote in an email to The Argus. “However, with our large turnout, we wish we had more space for students to move about more comfortably.”
Pacitto met with the Cardinal Programming Board (CPB) every week to help them organize the event. The CPB consists of student members who work alongside the OSI assistant director to produce events and programs for University students.
“We booked the vendors early in the semester to allow ample time for contracts and other details to be completed well in advance before the event,” Pacitto wrote. “The students on the board completed all the marketing and advertising, and also hosted the event, so they deserve the real credit!”
Fall Fest featured attractions, including Stuff-a-Bear, where students could choose their favorite plush and bring it to life by stuffing it.
“We received a large amount of positive feedback from the Stuff-a-Bear, even though we ran out of plushes early into the event,” Pacitto wrote. “In previous events, we have had leftover Stuff-a-Bear supplies, but that wasn’t the case for this year! We were disappointed to share the news that we ran out of animals, but we were happy to still have other activities that people could enjoy. Now that we know this activity is in high demand, we plan to increase our space and inventory for future related events.”
Fall Fest also featured warm apple cider, freshly dipped caramel apples, and a photo booth featuring various props where students could take photos with their friends.
“I think it’s really great to have this opportunity to hang out with my friends,” Barry Zheng ’29 said. “As an international student, it gave me a chance to meet more people. My favorite part of Fall Fest was the photoshoot because it helped me capture these memories, which I could look back on.”
However, many supplies ran out in the first half of the event, including the stuffed bears, which lasted less than half an hour; many students had lined up early outside the flex dining space to secure one.
“I saw a lot of people walking out of Usdan with stuffed teddy bears,” Maya Anvar ’28 said. “It looked really cute and fun, and I wish I came earlier.”
Pacitto and the CPB look forward to further events for students to attend.
“One of our central missions in the Cardinal Programming Board is to offer substance-free programming that all are welcome to enjoy,” Pacitto wrote. “Since this was the first CPB event of the year, we also wanted to show the campus who we are and what we do, and to start spreading the interest for our future events that will be coming soon!”
Brendan Kelso can be reached at bkelso@wesleyan.edu.
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