The speed with which spring semester passes always catches me by surprise. I don’t know if it’s that there are fewer weeks in this semester or if the weeks are just jam-packed with activities, but my schedule appears to be bursting at the seams. Even though I’m booked to my maximum capacity until May, every week a new student group manages to put on exciting events that I find myself trying to squeeze into my planner anyway. I can’t even claim to have a routine anymore when every week on campus is labeled with a different theme raising student awareness about a certain idea or event.
Two weeks ago it was Loving Week, hosted by WashU’s Association of Mixed Students. This was a celebration coinciding with the week of Valentine’s Day but actually celebrating Loving v. Virginia, the landmark civil rights decision of the United States Supreme Court which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. They put on a new event every day, culminating in the Loving Day banquet on Friday featuring presentations by WUSlam and guest speakers. The Sophomore Honorary Lambda Sigma also put on its annual Random Acts of Kindness Week to encourage the spread of warmth and joy on campus, including signing a Carnation Sale, a service project hosted by the honorary, and Valentine’s Day card-signing. As you can see, at WashU, we’re so busy that we even have to cram multiple weeks into one (cue rimshot).
This past week was George Washington Week. Sponsored by the Sophomore Honorary Lock & Chain, it’s a week that encourages school spirit, build lasting traditions, and foster debate and dialogue about the legacy of our school’s namesake. Most importantly, George Washington Week is a celebration of the man who inspired a nation with his wooden teeth and white wig. Events included the infamous Horse and Buggy Rides around Campus on Monday, an Experiential Learning Fair, the Pre-Convocation Sophomore Showcase, and the WUnity Ball, our campus-wide student formal.
This upcoming week is Mental Health Awareness Week hosted by Uncle Joe’s, as well as Africa Week hosted by the African Students Association. Africa Week aims to dispel misconceptions about African people and to showcase many of their achievements with events like an African dinner called Yum! Where’s it From?, a roundtable discussion on aid in Africa, a fashion show, talent show, and Afro-Cuban dance workshop. Uncle Joe’s Mental Health Awareness week seeks to dispel misconceptions about issues of mental health and showcase the importance of mental health on campus by putting on events like WashU PostSecret, a discussion on the stigma surrounding mental health, and handing out some breakfast and cups of Joe to students in the morning on their way to class.
Even though all this student group promotion makes for a slightly hectic schedule, at least it’s exciting to have something new to look forward every week, and some important ideas to consider and remind myself of as I carry on with my daily activities throughout the week.
Update as of 3/3/2013:
How could I possibly forget about all of these other awareness events that were also a part of this one memorable week of weeks at WashU? This week turned out to also be:
-Global Health Week hosted by GlobeMed, featuring a Public Health Banquet
–Engineers Week hosted by the Engineering School, featuring Mythbusters!
and
-Pluralism Week, planned through the collaboration of Baptist Student Union, Bhakti Yoga Club, Catholic Student Union, Christian Science Organization, Jewish Student Union, Lutheran Campus Ministry and Muslim Student Association
If you’re a student at WashU and know of even more weeks this week that I may have missed out on, let me know!
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