Norwich hosts Labor Day picnic, activities

By Martha Petersante
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The ideals of Norwich stress teamwork, responsibility, and even fun. These can be seen through the outcome of the successful Labor Day picnic organized by the student activities office Sept. 2.

The day started with a parade through the streets of Northfield, where observers cheered as the Corps of Cadets marched by, and then ended with a large celebration on lower Disney Field hosted by the Student Activities Council.

For the corps freshmen class it was a chance to "relax" and get to know "our rook buddies," according to Valerie Knight, a freshman mechanical engineering major from Dover, Del. "It was good morale booster and a break from the corps activities."

The Activities Council offered a variety of entertainment, ranging from sports to a pugle stick area.

"Volleyball was fun; our cadre got to play with us," said Sarah Davis, a freshmen biology major from Bay Head, NJ.

The members of the freshmen class were not the only ones using the concepts of teamwork and fun.

"The S-5 [student activities] and Student Activities Council work hand in hand," said Dr. Chandler Stowell, the faculty advisor for the Student Activities Council. "Natasha Waggoner put her crew together and did an outstanding job."

Waggoner's main objective was to have fun, according to Stowell, so the council tried to "put the fun into it."

"I wanted the students to be able to relax and enjoy the day," said Natasha Waggoner, 21, a senior communications major from Carlsbad, Cal. "In the past, student involvement has been extremely limited. If the university brings in activities which interest the students, then hopefully the interest and pride in the university will rise."

"This is the first year, since I have been here that Student Activities had this event so well organized that they could just walk around and make sure that everything was running beautifully," Stowell said.

"It took many long hours and planning sessions, but the picnic was a huge success," said Waggoner. "I wanted to make this a school-wide event, not just mandatory for the corps freshmen, that is why we had the DJ, the games, and closed the mess hall."

"We were hoping that this would lead to a university level of interaction between all the students, both freshmen and upperclassmen," Waggoner said.

Very few complaints were voiced about this event. It was a hot day, and there was a big demand for water.

"They should have had more refreshments, such as water, available due to the heat," Knight said.

"The only thing that I didn't like about the picnic was the lack of civilians there," said Lucas Sitterly, a freshmen criminal justice major from Ellesworth, Maine. "They are part of the class of 2006. This is the only time that [the corps and civilian students] get to socialize as a class."

Stowell said this level of teamwork and organization will become a tradition for the school and thus increase the involvement of students.

"I think that everything goes in cycles, and this year the leadership is outstanding. They really put a good program together," Stowell said.

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