Welcome back Katies!
By Skylar Mattson
As a new semester begins, the time comes to reconnect with friends and to get reacquainted with St. Kate’s campus.
Welcome Week
To kick off spring semester, St. Kate’s SEEK team, a group of College for Women students who plan social events and experiences for Katies, hosted their semesterly Welcome Back Week. Welcome Back Week consists of a variety of events scattered throughout the first week of the semester for CFW students to mingle with their fellow students.
Left to right: A team participates in a ping pong tournament; the unveiling of the brand new ping pong table in the Student Org Center; a ping pong challenge set up for students to compete against each other.
This semester, a ping pong table was added to the Student Organization Center in the CdC. There are always paddles and balls at the table, so students can take a study break and play some ping pong whenever they deem it necessary. To celebrate this exciting new addition to the CdC, Welcome Back Week kicked off with a ping pong tournament on the evening of Monday, Jan. 29. Students formed two-person teams to compete in a bracketed tournament, and while teams waited to take a swing at the table, they could compete in an assortment of ping pong challenges. Winners received tickets that they could enter into drawings for Squishmallows that were held throughout the evening. The grand prize for the winners of the tournament was a set of chicken mugs.
Left to right: Students chatting before trivia; the hostess setup; the mocktail station.
Next, Katies put their random knowledge to the test at Trivia Night in the Pulse on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Teams of friends answered questions from a wide variety of categories while sipping on mocktails. The top three teams received trivia-themed games so they could keep their knowledge sharp.
A Katie makes a sign on her way into the gym to cheer on the Wildcats.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, Katies put on their game faces and headed over to the Butler Center to cheer on the Wildcat basketball team as they played against the Hamline University Pipers. Over the lunch hour, SEEK hosted a poster-making session so students could show their school spirit at the game. SEEK also set up a poster-making station at the game. In a St. Kate’s spirit-packed gym, the Wildcats beat the Pipers 63-51.
Stay up-to-date on all Wildcat sporting events by viewing the complete athletics calendar.
Left to right: Instructions for macramé keychain making; the hot chocolate bar hosted by the two SEEK leads who coordinated all of Welcome Week.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, the second floor atrium of the CdC was converted into a calming space for macramé keychain making. With an instruction sheet provided by SEEK members, Katies could grab some yarn and make a keychain while sipping on beverages from the hot chocolate bar.
Left to right: Friends questioning how well they know each other; a packed RauMor seminar room full of friends ready to compete in the Newlyweds game. Credit: Mia Timlin
Thursday evening things heated up in the RauMor commons when pairs of friends competed in the Newlyweds Game: Best Friends Edition. The RauMor seminar room was packed wall-to-wall with teams. The night was full of smack talk, laughing and smiles.
Left to right: RAs attending Murder Mystery Night; attendees preparing for their rolls for the evening. Credit: Amanda Perrin
On Friday evening, the President’s Dining Room was converted into a crime scene for Murder Mystery Night. Katies came dressed for the fairy tale theme and took on character roles to act out for the evening. Characters had to mingle with each other as a way to gather clues to unravel the “whodunit” mystery, so the President’s Dining Room would not be left as a cursed fairy tale crime scene.
Welcome Week concluded on Saturday, Feb. 3, with an open house in the Student Organization Center hosted by the Student Center for Activities. Attendees enjoyed food, games and conversation with staff who work in the SCA.
A conversation with a SEEK team member
A week’s worth of social events requires a lot of planning and time from the SEEK team. This work does not stop for the SEEK team now that Welcome Week has passed. SEEK will continue to put on events for Katies throughout all of spring semester. Spring semester tends to be a demanding one for the SEEK team since they are responsible for planning one the biggest annual social events on campus, Dew Drop Bop.
One of the student leaders on SEEK, Kuntepi Chetana’ 24 (Biology, Economics minor), shared the motivation behind the work that she does on SEEK.
Chetana was encouraged to join SEEK last year by a past St. Kate’s student and SEEK member, KaZong Vue. Vue thought that Chetana would be a good fit for SEEK with her international background and knowledge of the Twin Cities. After joining SEEK, Chetana found that attending SEEK events could have a big impact on students, and she liked having the opportunity to plan and execute those meaningful events.
A large aspect of college is making social connections. Chetana spoke about why she believes making social connections on campus is important, sharing, “You need to surround yourself with people in order to be out there. If you are secluded then you won’t learn what the world has to offer for you, or the world cannot see what you have to offer.”
Through her work, Chetana watches meaningful social connections form when students attend SEEK events. For those who are looking to connect with some new people this semester, Chetana recommended attending SEEK’s bracelet making event from 5:30-7 p.m. in The Pulse on Monday, Feb. 12. She also said that students should make sure not to miss Casino Night happening later on this semester.
You can find all of SEEK’s upcoming events by following their Instagram (@stkatesseek) or by checking out their event flyers that are always posted around campus.
Socializing on campus
SEEK events are not the only way to get out and be social on campus. There are plenty of spaces on campus that work great for studying or spending time with friends.
The CdC has some great collaborative work spaces that can be used to crank out some homework or have fun with friends. The coffee shop does not have to be open for students to be able to utilize Dew Drop Lounge. Get cozy and enjoy the beautiful views from sun up to sun down.
Just across the way from Dew Drop Lounge is another great collaborative work space on the second floor of the CdC, the Student Organization Center. Move the tables and chairs to host large group events, get cozy and study in a comfy chair by yourself or challenge someone to a game of ping pong.
The CdC study spaces are typically a little bit busier, but quieter study spaces can be found in other buildings across campus. Fontbonne has lots of unique study setups for studying or working collaboratively that tend to be fairly quiet. It does not matter how you choose to get yourself out and about on campus, but remember that it is important to get out and be social. Welcome Back Week may be over, but the semester is just beginning, so take time to enjoy campus and the social opportunities it can provide.
Another addition to St. Kate’s this semester is the university’s official calendar. Anyone affiliated with the university is able to add events to this calendar, so viewing the calendar is a great way to stay up-to-date on all campus events. You can access the calendar on the St. Kate’s website.
