With the cold weather coming in oddly hot and heavy, Geneseo students have found inspiration from this seasonal transition. The residence halls Monroe, Livingston, Genesee, Allegany, Wyoming and Erie recently put on the 2015 Fall Fest to help relieve students from the generally cold and drab weather change.
Monroe Inter-Residence representative sophomore Zachary Berube discussed his experience working on making the event possible. He explained that the event was envisioned during an IRC meeting when representative sophomore Zachariah Barfield brought up the idea for the Fall Fest. According to Berube, Barfield’s suggestion was to create an affair that would help students “de-stress and celebrate the glorious fall we have here.”
Barfield’s proposal became a reality on the Letchworth Green on Sunday Nov. 8. With the help of IRC, Hall Council members, Campus Auxiliary Services and other volunteers, Fall Fest helped the campus start off the month of November in a festive and fun way. The green bustled with yard games like KanJam, horseshoes, tug-of-war, burlap sack races, scavenger hunts and more.
These interactive games seemed to be not only fun for participants—they also appeared to be exceedingly entertaining for passersby. Those onlookers watched with amusement as the students floundered about in burlap sacks or as they pulled each other across the green during tug-of-war. Other activities included a scavenger hunt, which consisted of snapping pictures of completed tasks at various stations. This scavenger hunt—put on by the IRC representatives—proved a fantastic way to encourage students to work together and introduce themselves to new people.
The event also supplied several festive fall activities such as pumpkin carving, as well as a plethora of food consisting of a buffet of picnic food, candy and the popular s’mores station. The fest appeared to bring students together with its entertaining atmosphere, turning the initially bland November Sunday into an animated scene.
“Fall Fest is the best fest,” event attendee freshman Sarah Mandanas said.
Berube explained that he thought the event was great because it provided students with a way not only to relax, but also to meet new people. It brought all the different residence hall communities together.
“Getting to put on the event with other halls was an exciting event. It is nice to see all the halls work together,” Berube said. “I’d like to see it happen again next year—or maybe a winter fest.”