On Thursday, February 12, 2015, the School of General Studies [SGS] hosted an event for all current freshmen. The event had a large turnout as many students walked in a blocked off room of the Cougar’s Den, wondering what this event will consist of. This Valentine’s Day themed event was a great way to help freshmen relax and enjoy their college experience, as many can say that college isn’t a stress-free environment.
Many students enjoyed the party especially freshmen Linda Yarfi who is majoring in molecular biology. Yarfi comments on how “everyone is having a great time; they are all having fun.” The event consisted of different games such as Catch Phrase, and the popular Ellen DeGeneres game Heads Up. Students were also able to win different prizes such as headphones.
The event also consisted of fabulous music and food. Students were enjoying the couple of hours by playing Heads Up in large groups of 10 or 15, or meeting new people while taking a few bites out of a slice of pizza. This event was a great way for students to meet other students, and many students can agree, like freshmen biology major, Melissa Casimir that “this event is a great way for others to meet new people.” As many students can relate, finding a few friends once entering college can be difficult and this event just made it easier.
Not only does this event allow first year students to meet other first year students, but it allowed them to get more information about the General Education Mentoring Peer Leadership Program, simply known as GEM. This program allows students to help support first year students in the sense of social and academic needs. Not only were students attending the event able to learn more about GEM, but students were also able to learn about the different workshop that the SGS will host, for example the Campus Safety Workshop. All in all, this Valentine’s Day themed event was a success to make first year students more comfortable on campus.
To learn more about SGS and or about GEM, please visit both of their websites by visiting Kean University's website.
