Free hotdogs, drinks and live music brought a variety of people out to the annual Associated Students Welcome Back Barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Trinity Commons.
The purpose of the event was to promote A.S. programs and special events that few students, including senior Cara Fox-Galassi, are aware of.
The occasion did gather attention, but most people were drawn to the event because of the free food and music, Fox-Galassi said.
Many people were interested in the band Zach Zeller, which performs a blend of alternative folk, said band members Zach Zeller, guitar and vocals, and Andrew Campbell, violin and keys.
The event was a hit with students, but its intention of providing them with information about how to get involved was not clear, said Mathias Stephan, intern for A.S. Presents.
“They hella want to make it about that, but they don’t know how to advertise,” Stephan said. “The next event they have, I’m going to get a fat banner and I just want to put it up.”
The intent of the event was to promote the special election for the commissioner of environmental affairs, said A.S. President Joseph Igbineweka. Only one candidate is running for the position now, but there could be write-ins.
“It’s also for the A.S. to reach out to students in general,” he said. “This is student dollars going to work right now.”
Although the A.S. hasn’t been hit very hard by the budget crisis, student fees may soon increase because of lower enrollment, Igbineweka said. The impact A.S. is seeing from the budget crisis is different from the rest of the campus, but will still impinge on students.
“Less enrollment means less activity fees,” he said. “It’s pretty much going to affect us in different ways.”
One of the most exciting things to happen this semester was the Student Town Hall Meeting on Monday, Igbineweka said.
Not many big changes have taken place within A.S., he said.
“For the most part, it’s pretty much the same, nothing changes,” Igbineweka said. “Pretty much all that’s going to happen is better service to students.”
Mike North can be reached at
mnorth@theorion.com
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