Third annual president’s picnic brings in hundreds of students

The third annual President’s Picnic took place yesterday at 5pm on President Suzanne Shipley’s front lawn. An old tradition brought back when President Shipley took office, three years ago, brought hundreds of students new and old together for dinner and games.

Freshman, finance major Ivan Deleon, said, “Coming in as a freshman you feel new to everything you’re not familiar with all the different faces you see around campus. It’s nice being able to meet some of the higher ups and people who work on campus and play big roles. It’s nice that you can interact and get to know them better, it’s good for incoming freshman like me.”

Both Deleon and Shipley agree that it was a good opportunity for students to interact with the President and let them know who she is.

Shipley said, “I finally get to meet the new students and it is super important that students know who their president is and that we recognize each other walking across campus. I have been out doing stuff for a couple of weeks, from the time people start coming back just to remind them, hey the president is out here.”

Students were glad to meet the president and said it made them feel closer to her.

Deleon said, “It’s nice that she took the time out of her day to come out here and individually meet up with every person while in line waiting to get our food, she was talking to each and every one of us, which is a really nice thing, and makes us feel like she cares and that we are close as a whole we’re not just some students.”

Some students were glad to see the diversity of the campus.

Dental hygiene sophomore Enok Thang, said, “I think it is great to get all everyone together. The diversity here is amazing there are a whole bunch of people from other continents, some from the Caribbeans and I myself am from Burma. It’s been really fun bonding with the other students and the food is great too.”

Agricultural Business sophomore, Kale Hutchins said that it is a good way for the Mustangs community to bond.

While it was hotter this year than the past two Shipley and students still made the best of it and enjoyed the events.

Shipley said, “It’s hotter but you know, it doesn’t feel that bad. You know the picnics are all kind of the same but the difference is the the officers choose different activities, I don’t know if we’ve had a DJ before but I think the music really livens things up we’ve always had the tent and the games. It just depends on what the officers think would be fun and that’s what they do.

Hutchins even chimed in by saying, “Just bring the fan closer to my end because it is kind of warm.”

During the picnic Shipley even opened up Sikes House to the students and gave a few tours of inside showing the students where she lives and even giving a bit of a history lesson to go with it.

Shipley said, “This gets me in contact with a whole lot of people at once. Then when I say hi or when I do something goofy they know it’s okay it’s just the President. It gives the students a sense of ownership of the campus when they have events different places on campus. Now you’re going to drive by the house and say ‘oh I’ve been there I know what it’s like and I know what she’s like,’ then you feel like it’s your campus and students ought to feel that way.”

While there were games one student expressed that they would like to have a more social game for everyone to partake in.

Thang said, “If we could all participate in a social game, all of us, instead of sitting here talking to ourselves I think that would be a really cool thing to make the people closer.”