On Sept. 8, Reines Plaza filled with music, food, student organizations and university resources as Kean University brought its annual Kean Day tradition to the Jersey City campus for the first time. From 1 to 3 pm, students explored campus organizations, academic programs and support services while meeting other members of the Kean Jersey City community amidst music and dancing, free food, and a photo booth.
“It was important for us to kick off the year here with Kean Day Jersey City so that our students can get a feel for what's coming and what to expect,” said Kerrin Lyles, vice president of Student Affairs. “You can feel the energy where the students are excited. This is something new.”
Lyles said the event was intended to encourage students to become curious about their new campus and find ways to get involved. “It builds a sense of pride,” he said. “It’s building a sense of community and belonging that will help the students as they transition from being NJCU to Kean Jersey City.”
The inaugural Jersey City Kean Day was organized to give students a similar experience to Kean Day events held at the university’s Union and Ocean campuses.
“We wanted to make sure that the students at Kean Jersey City were able to experience Kean Day the way our students in Union as well as Kean Ocean experience it,” said Sheila Philbert, an organizer of Kean Day and director of the Miron Student Center.
The event brought together departments, student organizations and campus groups, alongside community partners providing food, music and other activities. Tables represented areas ranging from Career Services and Admissions to the Counseling Center, Office of Accessibility Services, Kean Global, the Center for Leadership and Service and the Center for Advising, Persistence and Success.
Student organizations including the Biology Club, Pre-Med Association, Psychology Club, Girls Who Code, Health Science student organizations and several Greek-letter organizations also participated.
“We wanted to bring our Kean culture to Jersey City,” Philbert said. “And I think that we did a very good job, as you can see [by] the lines and all the tables and festivities.”
For students, the event offered an opportunity to discover resources and organizations that may not have been familiar to them before the transition.
Liz Leal, president of the Pre-Med Association, said tabling allowed her organization to introduce itself to students while also helping students discover opportunities available through Kean. “It’s similar, yet so different, because in their previous events, we had a lot of new tables, but now that it turns to Kean, now it's like so many new opportunities that I didn't know myself, that I have now available at Kean," she said. "It's so amazing the amount of support they give to their students, and I'm glad that these changes have been made.”
Leal said she hopes to expand the Pre-Med Association’s presence to the Jersey City campus and create opportunities for students to participate in community service and connect with one another. "I want the pre-med club to be a club that students look forward to, to be part of and like to participate because it's a great opportunity to be in relationships and to get to know and to do outside community service hours.”
For students attending the event, Kean Day was as much about meeting people as it was about learning about campus resources.
Dora Jarama, a sophomore Biology major from North Bergen, NJ and secretary of the Biology Club, said it was her first time tabling at an event like Kean Day. “We're really excited to start and connect with new people that are interested in our club,” she said.
Her fellow Biology Club officer, sophomore Vice President Amal Salman, said events like Kean Day can be particularly useful for students looking to expand their networks. “I think [Kean Day] is really important just because it builds community,” she said. “It's really important that we start building it, especially with events like this with music and food and people just talking to each other.”
Emily Sullivan, a sophomore Computer Science major from Harrison, said she was on campus for class when she noticed the festivities. “I was here for classes, but I saw the festivities and I got really excited,” Sullivan said. “I love celebrating school spirit and having fun.”
Her favorite part of the event was the photo booth, where students could pose with their friends and get print outs to take home. She also remembered attending events at NJCU as a freshman and said continuing to hold activities on the Jersey City campus was meaningful during the transition. “It means a lot to me that they continue doing that as we merge,” she said.
The event was a unique opportunity for freshman students to begin finding their place on campus. Sora Grant, a Recreational Therapy major from Bayonne, NJ said he hoped to meet more people during the semester. "[It’s] more people to talk to,” Grant said. “It's socialization.”
For Christian Hall, a freshman Film major, Kean Day was also a chance to meet people outside of class. Hall said President Lamont Repollet had visited his class and encouraged students to attend the event. “I think [Kean Day] is good because it brings a lot of people together,” he said. “A lot of people commute, a lot of people dorm here. It's good to meet new people and network.”
Hall also noticed tables promoting job opportunities, which he said were particularly useful for college students. This included the Office of Career Services, Office of Government Affairs and Community Partnerships, and more.
The event also included an American flag-raising outside Hepburn Hall, where President Lamont Repollet gathered students, faculty and staff. Students could register near Art and Science Hall before receiving event T-shirts and making their way through the activities.
The president described Kean Day as an introduction to the university and its programs for Jersey City students. “It's an annual thing we do on our campus at Kean Union," he explained, "and in our Jersey City campus, it allows us to introduce ourselves, to really kind of market our organization, our programs--and it gives a chance for Kean Jersey City to see exactly that.”
He described the event as a bridge between the university's campuses. “In fact, we are celebrating Kean as a unified system.”
Throughout Reines Plaza, students could visit tables for academic programs, student organizations and university offices, while food and activity stations offered empanaditas, Cuban sandwiches, croquetas de hongo, smoothies, cookies and other refreshments. A photo booth and music added to the festivities.
For Philbert, those interactions were central to the purpose of the event. “Events like this bring not only culture, but great networking and experiences,” she said. “It's an opportunity for them to network, to get to know their campus [and] get to know what resources are available on their campus.”
As Jersey City continues its transition into the Kean system, the inaugural Kean Day gave students an early opportunity to experience that transition beyond the classroom--allowing them to learn about university resources, campus facilities, and student organizations with a smoothie in one hand, a DJ to dance to, and a chance to bond with other students.
