On Nov. 30th, the Autumn Harvest Festival kicked off the holiday season for WSU Vancouver students. The event was orchestrated by the Student Organization Committee Planning Team, which consisted of the Associated Students of WSU Vancouver, the Office of Student Involvement, the Student Activities Board and many other student clubs.
The event attracted crowds in droves – something only seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival took place in the Firstenburg Student Commons and the Dengerink Administration building. Here, students organized a variety of talks and games hosted by the Finance Club and other student-run clubs at WSU Vancouver.
Each club that participated set up their own tables and booths. Students enjoyed the “Spontaneously Combusting Goblins” game put on by the Dungeons & Dragons club, an activity that invited students to throw their own twist of a classic “Fireball” spell at stacked bottles. The Crafts and Creations club hosted a photobooth, where participants could get their photo taken and printed out in a Polaroid instantly. Some other events included Black People United hosted a leaf painting event, Cougar Pride Club held a talk about Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Tennis Club hosted a “Hit the Target” game.
Club tables were not the only attractions bringing students to the Autumn Harvest Festival. Food trucks El Rinconsito and Getta Gyro visited campus for the event, and were very popular among students. Multiple representatives from ASWSUV were walking around the event gathering signatures for a petition in support of more food trucks on campus.
Magellan Rankin, senior majoring in human biology and anthropology, and president of BPU, said that the event was enjoyed by those who attended.
“The event fosters a really great sense of community. There was great food, great people and no complaints at all,” said Rankin.
Corey Hing, a junior accounting major, who volunteered for Tennis Club’s “Hit the Target” game, recounts that his favorite part of the event was Edem Soul Music’s African Soul Drumming.
“The artist talked about her music, which portrayed her language and beautiful culture… [the event] is a good way to meet other Vancougars on campus, when so many members of the community come together, it just makes everyone want to go,” Hing said.
With so many jam-packed activities, fun games, and great food, one can easily say that the Autumn Harvest Festival was a success and many students hope to see more events like this held on campus next semester.
Clubs that took part in the Harvest Festival included:
Finance club
Tennis club
Dungeon and Dragons club
Black People United
Crafts and Creations club
First Generation Student Association
Cougar Pride
Human Development club
Aerospace club
Neuroscience club
Sean is a junior studying digital technology & culture at WSU Vancouver.