The Fresno State Off-Campus Student Life (OCSL) Program gave students an evening to roller skate, enjoy live music and more at Spring Fest at Campus Pointe last Thursday evening.
Evita Soares, a graduate assistant, said OCSL wanted to give commuter students a place to feel connected and that the purpose of scheduling Spring Fest around midterms was to give students a chance to revitalize and have a break from their usual routine. Soares said the intention of Spring Fest was to celebrate students’ hard work since coming back to school and adjusting to in-person classes.
The OCSL serves commuter students and aims to provide them with resources and tools to help them academically and socially on campus.
“Ultimately, we wanted this event to allow students to meet other people, especially because a lot of students have been online this entire time. This may be their first semester [that] they’re actually in-person, and we wanted to make sure their in-person [experience] is more than just academics without connections,” Soares said.
Entertainment for students included live music from DJ Diko, a trackless train ride, roller skating, glitter tattoos, airbrush tattoos and caricature drawings. Victor E. Bulldog stopped by for pictures with students, as well.
Madison Kent, a junior majoring in business management, said Spring Fest was the first school event she had ever attended and described the atmosphere of the event as fun. She offered advice for students on the fence about going to events like these, or who are too shy to go by themselves.
“Go for it. I would say grab a friend. Grab someone you know, because that always makes it way easier,” Kent said.
Julia Cliff, a senior majoring in sociology, said she appreciated being able to attend events like Spring Fest for free as a student.
“I think it’s a really cool thing, to get people together and get engaged, too. Being a student, especially after COVID with being online for so long, to finally be in-person is starting to go back to normal,” Cliff said.
Cliff said that since starting at Fresno State online and adjusting to in-person classes she has been a little anxious, and events like Spring Fest have helped her feel like life is going back to normal.
“It can be very tiring, working and going back to school right after, so stuff like this, where you just hang out and you’re not spending your time doing homework, [is] nice,” Cliff said.
Events like Spring Fest where students can become more engaged and do more activities “make it feel more like you’re actually going to college,” Cliff said.
The next OCSL event will be another “Good Morning Commuters” event, where students arriving to campus in the morning can pick up free donuts, coffee, tea, fruit and more on their way to class on April 6 from 7 – 10 a.m. on Jackson and Barstow avenues.
