Associated Students gave out free shirts and candy during a new weekly spirit day on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The event, known as Bluesday, is meant to build school pride and increase student involvement on campus, according to Associated Students Vice President Wyatt Kohler.
“I think having this event will get people more involved with whats happening on campus,” said Kohler. “I think a lot of students come to campus, they go to their classes and leave. We are trying to bring a little more student life and getting people more spirited.”
Representatives from Associated Students set up a tent in front of Fountain Hall on Raider Walk. They handed out hundreds of free Moorpark College t-shirts, candy and held a raffle. Bluesday, will reoccur every week on Tuesday. Students are encouraged to wear school colors like blue and black. Those that do could potentially enter raffles and receive free giveaways. For Kohler, this event is about connecting students.
“By getting people more aware of the colors and wearing the spirited wear and seeing other people wearing it, maybe they are more interested in joining student government…joining other clubs or just attending other events. We are just creating that sense of community,” said Kohler.
According to Director of External Affairs, Chris Luczywek, 21, giveaways and raffles will occur sporadically and require having a student identification card.
“We are trying to build ways to make student ID’s more useful and engage more,” said Luczywek. “We want to engage with them. We want to connect with them.”
The idea for the event began with Kristen Robinson, Associated Students Faculty Advisor. After spending a brief four months at Oxnard College, she noticed that students would wear their school color (orange) on Thursdays. Along with Kohler, Director of Constitution of Rules Jennifer Pezzuto took Robinson’s idea and created Bluesdays.
“I really liked the sentiment of it; the idea of trying to instill school spirit,” said Robinson. “I feel like sometimes at two years, that just sort of gets lost.”
Students who passed by the booth on Raider Walk, were also encouraged to take a selfie with a cut out board of an Instagram post. Associated Students is encouraging people to follow their Instagram account, a.s.m.c., for updates on raffles and upcoming events.
There is a sense among some students like Logan Garretson, 17, business major, that Moorpark College lacks a sense of community. Garretson found the first Bluesday effective in building a sense of school spirit.
“You go to school, you do school, you leave. It’s not so fun. Stuff like this definitely helps. It adds color,” said Garretson.
Dallas Vorburger contributed to this report.
