Spirit Month and Virtual CommUNITY Kick-off
Annual Welcome Week activities serve as a kick-off to the year that is meant to energize and engage new and returning students, staff and faculty.
This year, the Student Life department has been hard at work trying to answer one important question: how can we come together and build community in this time of physical distancing?
In order to meet this challenge, the department has organized Spirit Month with the goal of promoting College community unity. This month-long series of events, some virtual and some that adhere to social-distancing guidelines, is meant to offer students a look into the value of participating in co-curricular activities.
“Students can experience a great deal outside of the classroom—meeting new people, honing leadership skills, resume-building, networking and having fun,” said Tara Martinez, director of Student Life. “Even though our current virtual environment might sometimes make it more challenging to connect, I believe it is even more vital for students to engage in our co-curricular activities now,” she continued. “It is a great way to stay in community with people who have similar interests, passions and/or identities.”
The feature event of Spirit Month is the September 10 Virtual CommUNITY Kick-off, taking place from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. The event will begin with welcome messages from President Sharon Pierce and Student Senate President Dominique Bangmon, followed by a keynote from Minneapolis College alumna Felicia Clark. The event will then transition into a virtual Resource and Connections Fair, where participants can choose which clubs, departments and/or initiatives they would like to learn more about.
When asked what his hopes are for this event, Bangmon replied, “I hope that from this event we continue to work directly with the community. I hope that we can take this opportunity to build relationships [within the school], with local non-profits and with other local groups doing amazing work.”
Bangmon also discussed how he wants this student support to continue throughout the year. “We want to continue supporting our clubs. We want our students to know their resources, whether it’s mental health, food security or housing. We want to support our students on all fronts. They still matter. They still have a voice.”
- Register for the September 10 event: (Passcode: 567559)