Fall is starting to make an appearance on Shawnee State’s campus. Leaves are turning, the wind is picking up, and more students are opting for sweaters and hoodies. With fall comes sports, and with sports comes homecoming.
However, there has been a slight change in the fall schedule of events. Some students may have noticed that homecoming has been pushed out to January, and in its place is Fall Fest. Rikki Butler, the director of student engagement, explained the change.
“We have decided to move homecoming to January to coincide with basketball until we can get football up and running, and then it’ll go back,” she clarified. “This year we are going to do homecoming with basketball season. So, to fill up that space, we decided to have a Fall Fest in what would typically be homecoming week.”
This is the first time in recent years that Shawnee has held an event like this. Despite the new name, the Fall Fest events will be very reminiscent of previous homecoming events. The activities began Oct. 8, with a pumpkin hunt and the well-known Bear Wear Wednesday. The pumpkin hunt consists of miniature pumpkins hidden around campus with prizes inside. Some pumpkins are covered in gold, and those signify bigger prizes that can be won. This pumpkin hunt will continue until all pumpkins are found – so it may not be too late to get out there and search for your own.
Thursday, Oct. 9, spotlights the new Bear Well program available at Shawnee. Tri-State Rehab is opening this program free to students and faculty, and it will feature services such as yoga and meditation.
“They have a grand open house (on Thursday),” Butler said. “They’re going to be giving away some free swag and things like that. They have all kinds of things for students who just need a timeout.”
This program, named the Bear Well Center for Wellness and Recovery, will be located in the previous Teaching and Learning Center, which is located to the left of the metal detectors at the library’s main entrance. Thursday will also see some activity in the evening, including bowling hosted by the Student Programming Board.
Friday, Oct. 10, will feature a pep rally, including a Game Jam complete with presentations and student-made games.
“We have a pink-out student section going on for the volleyball game,” Butler added. “That’s their breast cancer awareness activities going on all weekend, just to recognize those affected by breast cancer.”
Saturday, Oct. 11, is the biggest day of the Fall Fest. Along with volleyball, tennis and soccer games, there will be a large tailgate beginning at 3 p.m. Student organizations are invited to participate, decorate their vehicles and showcase their clubs. The tailgate will feature a food truck, music and games. The Art Walk in Portsmouth will also be taking place from 1-5 p.m.
“Our big thing is going to be our Bear Crawl that evening at 7:30,” Butler said. “We have some local organizations, local vendors, that are going to be opening their doors to families and welcoming them in, like OddFellows; there’s a few other folks on there as well, but families can go explore the city and go to these places. The Feed the Bears initiative is going on so students can get their discounts down there as well.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the Fall Fest events – students, faculty, friends, family and community members. Butler expressed a desire to involve the community more in Shawnee events such as this.
“It’s all over campus, but not just on campus,” she explained. “We want students and families to know that the community around them is also a part of the college experience. And there’s a lot to do here as well. Like, people like to say Portsmouth is so small, but there’s a lot of restaurants and things and little niche places. So, we definitely want people to get out into the community as well, and the families to see that the community at large is so supportive of Shawnee State University.”
Butler is sending out daily reminders via email about Fall Fest events, but anyone wishing to reach out for more information may also contact her via email at [email protected] or by calling (740) 351-3164. Information can also be found on Shawnee Student Life’s social media, and flyers for the Bear Crawl will be handed out at the tailgate and on campus throughout the week. Fall Fest will continue through Oct. 11, so be sure to get out and participate in the festivities!
