While many become overwhelmed with the stress of finals, the Office of Student Involvement has found a solution to bring a little cheer back into the lives of VanCougs.
OSI’s new “involvement boxes” are themed boxes filled with useful items for students to enjoy from the comfort of their own home. Cambri Shanahan, recreation coordinator for OSI, explains there are typically three different boxes, each with a different theme, for students to choose from each month. Every student can apply each month, but priority is given to those who have not yet received a box. Additionally, students can make recommendations on what themes they would like to see for upcoming boxes.
For November, the three box themes included a Cougs Who Cook Box, Great Outdoors Recreation Box and a Go Cougs Football Box. OSI prepared 25 packages for each box, except for the Cougs Who Cook Box, which included a crockpot, tortilla chips and other soup items.
“We did 30 of the crockpot ones because we thought those might be a little more popular,” Shanahan said. “We are trying to get as many students to know about them as possible, and as we get more of a need we will amp up how many [boxes] we can do.”
The Great Outdoors Recreation Box was filled with supplies for hiking and camping, encouraging students to take a break and go outside. Included in the outdoor-themed box were graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for s’mores, as well as a waterproof notebook, a cooking pot set and other items all wrapped up in a small hiking backpack. For football lovers, the Go Cougs Football Box included a WSU blanket, a school spirit cup, chips, salsa and a small salsa dish.
Katelyn Sedig, a senior social sciences major, works at the OSI office and assembles the involvement boxes on campus. Sedig notes giving out boxes can be a great way for students to interact with one another even if it is only for a brief moment.
“I always have a fun time assembling the involvement boxes and handing them out. Usually, the office is very quiet, but on involvement box days, it gets busier and it is refreshing to socialize with students. We have even had students coming in to pick up boxes for friends or family, so it is great to see these boxes getting word-of-mouth. This is a fun program that I hope we continue,” Sedig said.
Each involvement box also includes fliers that typically involve virtual events and an opportunity for students to win a prize. In October, a pumpkin painting event was planned, where students could paint pumpkins at home and post a picture on social media, entering them for a chance to win a gift card. This month, OSI is opening their prize opportunity to all students.
“So whether you get the box or not, if you go outside in the month of November, and just send us a picture and like a little description, you can be entered in to win a two-person tent. It is pretty awesome,” Shanahan said. “And so anyone who does that will be entered in to win and you can do it each week to increase your chances.”
LaShay Wesley, a senior digital technology and culture major, received the pumpkin painting box for October and thinks the boxes are beneficial for students, granting them a small period of relaxation during the semester.
“I think they are a good idea because now that we have the coronavirus, we are not on campus and we are just on our computers all day and everybody needs a break. One of the issues was getting people involved and I think this is a good way of getting people involved,” Wesley said.
Although it can serve as a challenge to get the supplies for over 50 boxes each month, Shanahan said students have been showing their satisfaction with the boxes, which makes the hard work worth it.
“It has been nice. People are so appreciative, like they are so stoked about them. They love them because we have not been able to do a lot of programs. So it has been a really nice way to just give back and do some fun things for people, then they can do fun things on their own time,” Shanahan said.
As Shanahan gears up to plan for newly themed boxes, she gave a sneak peek for this month, stating December’s box is a themed finals survival kit intended to help busy students de-stress with chocolate, games, coffee and tea.
OSI plans to keep up with the involvement boxes throughout the academic year as long as it serves the students’ interests. If you did not get a chance to request a box in the fall, be sure to sign-up early for a box during the spring semester. If you are nervous about finals, OSI encourages students to sign-up for a finals survival kit when forms are available after Thanksgiving break.