Brianna Campbell / The Collegian

Four offices in the Frank W. Thomas Administration Building held an open house on Wednesday to spotlight the services they offer for students.

The event was set up as a progressive lunch, which meant that participants had to stop at each participating office to find a part of their meal.

Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Ofelia Gamez, said that the format gave students a chance to see departments they might not know about.

“I think it’s a great idea because it has every student come through every office,” Gamez said. “It’s a more relaxed way of showcasing the services provided.”

Gamez said that this is especially important considering that some departments are new to the Thomas building.

This semester, the administrative offices that were previously housed in the Thomas building moved to the Harold H. Haak center in the Henry Madden Library.

In return, the Thomas Administration Building became the new home to more student-oriented departments, according to career development counseler Adrian Ramirez.

“This is a building for students,” Ramirez said.

Both Ramirez and Gamez estimated that more than 200 people attended the lunch.

“We had enough food for 150 people, and it’s gone,” Gamez said.

Each of the participating departments provided food, according to Gamez.

Career Services offered enchiladas and salad, CAMP offered beans and rice and the Jan and Bud Richter Center provided chips, salsa and drinks. The Maddy Institute and Academic Senate both offered desserts.

Freshman criminology major Christina Ramos said she felt offering free lunch was a good way to appeal to students.

“We saw the posters, and saw people walking with food, so we came too,” Ramos said.

Although Ramos had been in the Thomas building before, she said she thought there were students who were experiencing it for the first time.

“There were a lot of people coming in that didn’t know anything about the building,” she said.

Ramirez said that one student at the open house approached him inquiring about her major and set up a counseling appointment with him.

“That makes it worth it,” Ramirez said.

He also said that he is planning on doing a progressive lunch for next year’s open house.

“We did not expect such a huge turnout,” Ramirez said. “Next year, we’ll make sure and get the whole building involved, and plan for more people.”