Coming back to school after a relaxing summer off was probably not a fun transition for most students. However, UMass Boston’s Student Arts and Events Council eased students back into the swing of things with their two weeks of Welcome to Paradise Welcome Week activities.
Starting the first day off strong, Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco welcomed everyone back to campus with his 8 a.m. speech in Campus Center. In said speech, he promised that people will soon see a new quad—one that was assured to be finished by this semester—as well as several other steps in the name of sustainability.
Also on the first day, students were encouraged to participate in the Campus Kickoff on the first floor of Campus Center. Long tables of snacks, drinks and free merchandise greeted students as they arrived, along with free “Welcome to Paradise” planners handed out by staff.
Thursday brought a Movie Under the Stars. “Jurassic Park World Dominion” played on a projected screen on the front lawn, where students could just lay out a blanket and watch the movie under the clear sky.
Friday brought a lot of exciting activities to campus including a vendor fair and SAEC’s First Friday. The vendor fair featured local artisans and their unique products. There were tables of handmade jewelry, crystals, thrift vendors and more! It was a cool way to discover local businesses to support along with finding one-of-a-kind items.
SAEC’s First Friday gave students a free live show and tons of activities to participate in. Boston-based artists, including DJRM, Latrell James, Dutch Tulips and The Q-Tip Bandits, rocked the stage with their original songs as students scattered around the lawn playing corn hole and other fun games.
Week Two started off on Tuesday with a pizza party held by SAEC between the Campus Center and McCormack. That night, Student Multicultural Affairs hosted Cultural Collaborative Film Screening featuring two new movies, “Becoming Frederick Douglass” and “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom.”
Wednesday was the Chancellor’s Barbeque, where tables lined the front lawn with all kinds of food handed out by Chancellor Suárez-Orozco himself. There were also plenty of grouped tables and chairs that allowed attendees to socialize as they pleased.
Thursday brought yet another Movie Under the Stars, this time showing “Elvis.” Ending the first two weeks on a high note was Lawn on B: Glow Night. Located on the front lawn, there were glowing swings and seesaws, reminiscent of childhood playground days.
They also provided free food from two food trucks, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese and Cookie Monstah. Roxy’s served grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots, and Cookie Monstah brought three different kinds of ice cream cookie sandwiches: Classic with chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream, dough boy with chocolate chunk cookies and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and candy shoppe with M&M cookies and candy ice cream.
There were also plenty of activities from a glow bounce house, to glow games like air hockey and ping pong, to a black light photo booth and, as always, free merch!
Throughout the weeks, there were various informational booths placed mostly on the first floor terrace, showcasing the different organizations throughout the school. Students could easily find ways to be involved through attending the club fairs, volunteer booths or job events hosted over the last three weeks.
SAEC did a great job of welcoming students back to campus with their various activities in the first couple weeks of the semester.
