Photo Source: Saint Xavier University
During the first week of October 2023, Saint Xavier University held its annual Homecoming celebrations. This year, there was a special twist: a “Barbie” themed Spirit Week celebrated on campus for current students! Throughout the week, Campus Life, Student Activities Board (SAB), and Student Government Association (SGA) hosted a variety of different events to keep students involved.
The events began with a Spirit Week Showcase, and ended with Champ’s Tailgate during the big Homecoming game. Although these events were fun by themselves, what really made this Spirit Week so memorable was the large participation and enthusiasm from the student body.
Being a mostly commuter school, SXU struggles in keeping students engaged with the programs and events offered outside of classes. When RSOs host events on campus, one of their biggest concerns is having students actually come to the events. As President of SGA, I can testify that these concerns carry over to larger events as well.
When planning commenced for this year’s Spirit Week/Homecoming festivities, the planning committee composed of SAB, SGA, and student volunteers decided a theme would help create a source of community among the student body. After some brainstorming, the theme of “Barbie” was selected despite there being some initial push-back.
Two of the biggest focuses surrounding the theme selection were having students dress in pink, and having a large number of RSOs participate in the events. On the first day of Spirit Week, I was mortified that I would walk into campus and see that no one was participating. However, my fears turned out to be for nothing as students were walking the halls in their bright pink clothes.
This cheerful spirit among the student body remained for the entire week. Junior Johnnetta Washington shared her thoughts on the celebrations, “Homecoming Week was definitely fun, and it was so nice to see everyone show up and show out. I feel like the theme was creative, and the decorations were really nice.” Washington went on to share that her favorite event was the RSO Carnival, an event where RSOs got to put together carnival games on The Quad.
I believe that the moment I realized how successful this Spirit Week was going to be, was when I attended the women’s volleyball game event on October 3rd. The entire student section cheered on the players, and all the members of the male volleyball team showed up head to toe in pink. It was truly a sight I never imagined I would see in SXU.
Now that Spirit Week has ended, students, staff, and faculty continue to talk about how much they enjoyed the events. It was truly a success, and in my three years I’ve spent at SXU, I have never seen so much community at this school. After a hard year on campus with many academic and personnel changes, it was incredibly beautiful to see so many people come together and celebrate what makes SXU so special.
As a part of the planning committee for these events, it was also so rewarding to see a big week of events finally pay off. President of SAB, Emily Saldana had this to share about her experience on the Spirit Week planning committee: “[This year] was very different. Unlike in prior years, I saw a large increase in events, participation, but also genuine excitement and school spirit. This being one of the major weeks we organize, and having an almost entirely new board for not only SAB, but also for other RSOs I’m involved in, brought a sense of pride for the amount of dedication and work my teams have done to make sure students on campus have great experiences.”
As a student leader, nothing feels more rewarding than seeing your hard work pay off, especially when that pay-off is watching students have fun on campus. When faculty, staff, and fellow students appreciate the hard work students leaders do, it is truly an immeasurably warm feeling. Katy Thompson, Dean of Students, shared this insight in her newsletter, “While it did take some convincing their DOS (yes, that’s me), that our students would be excited for and engaged in such a theme, they could not have been more spot on about the fun and spirit it would bring to campus.”
Similarly, Kennedy Adams, Campus Life Grad Assistant, shared her experience overseeing the event planning: “I am so proud of these students. Their ability to seamlessly roll with the punches that have been out of their control is admirable! They put their hearts and souls into Spirit Week and have set the bar high for the weeks to come. I hope they are as proud of themselves as I am.”
After the success of this year’s Spirit Week, it is my hope that SXU will continue to foster and create a new sense of community, where each student can truly feel as if they belong and matter, all while having fun and creating the memories that make college so special.