The 2024 fall trimester is swiftly coming to an end, with winter break right around the corner. Finals week is all that stands between students and a long-deserved break from the stresses of coursework, lectures, and Canvas due dates.
However, this week can be the most anxiety-inducing for college students. The Student Activities Board (SAB) created a list of activities to give students a place to take a break and enjoy themselves.
Cassie Srock, Droverstock and Nightlife Chair of SAB has high hopes for these events. All SAB members have helped organize these events based on feedback from previous years, new things they can incorporate, and how the weather would affect these activities.
“We just want to celebrate the student body; we want to show them they are represented at our school, that they’re loved, and feedback is always good. That’s how we make our organization, our campus, better,” she said.
The events will begin Monday, Dec. 2, with a pool tournament from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Lawson Clubhouse. There will be prizes for the top-placing competitors, including a set of Apple AirPods for first place.
The Student Government Association (SGA) is also partnering with Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) for Silent Disco. This will transpire Monday Dec. 2 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the USAO Ballroom.
Breakfast for Dinner will take place Tuesday, Dec. 3. This is a partnership with Sodexo to serve an expanded offering of breakfast foods. SAB also wants to make this event’s atmosphere as calm as possible, including decorations of sticky notes with encouraging phrases and music to set a relaxing mood.
Self-Care Day is Wednesday, Dec 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Davis Hall Lobby. SAB will have snacks and drinks available for students to grab to help them with preparing for final exams. The Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) will also serve coffee during this event.
The closing event is the last Dusty’s After Dark for the trimester. This will occur Thursday, Dec. 5, and will be a Christmas-themed bash from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. There will be an Ugly Sweater Contest with a prize for the overall winner and a raffle with hourly prize drawings. Along with this, there will be Christmas karaoke and ornament decorating.
Srock knows the dangers of getting caught up in schoolwork and says that SAB wants to help students feel less overwhelmed and brighten their day.
She also spoke about how these events are meant to be a pat on the back for the freshman enduring their first trimester of college, a sendoff for those seniors who persisted through their last, and an encouragement for everyone in between.
“The goal of these events is to say, hey you just took an hour-long test, come take a break, come eat some breakfast, hang out with your friends, you deserve it,” she said.
Thomas Buchanan is a third-year art major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
