FMU hosted its annual First Friday event on Aug. 23 at the Griffin Athletic Complex.
This event was hosted by FMU’s Student Life organization. Some key features of the event included food trucks, live music, tents from various student groups and organizations on campus, carnival rides and more. The live music was hosted by Jarvis Jett & Friends and DJ Joey.
The event was open to students, faculty and members of the FMU community as a celebration to welcome students back on campus at the start of a new academic year. Although there was no entry fee, many food, beverage and artisan fares were available for purchase.
One of the primary goals of First Friday is to give student clubs and other organizations a spotlight for new students. At these tables, organizations tend to give out free merchandise and introduce new students to the many facets of the FMU community. One of these tables set up was the biology club to educate students about the club and entice new members to join.
“We offered sodas, agua fresca and stickers,” Bailey Mitchell, senior biology and Spanish double major, said. “As students came to the table and filled out the interest sheet, the vice president, Mercedes McCourry, and I informed them about what we did on campus last year.”
On top of showcasing each organization, the event also allowed ample opportunity for advertising upcoming events.
“We also informed them of our plans for this year,” Mitchell said. “We plan to hold events such as a bingo night, construction of pollinator gardens and host a supervised overnight camping trip for club members.”
After not attending the event last year, the biology club has already seen some growth since the start of the semester.
“We didn’t participate in First Friday last year, but having participated this year, we were able to get a page and a half full of signups,” Mitchell said. “We were able to talk about the club to a lot of people. It is definitely one of the best ways to get freshmen to join the club, and we need freshmen because they tend to be more eager to participate. It is important to get people invested as freshmen because it helps ensure the long-term success of the club.”
Perhaps the most celebrated aspect of First Friday has been how it brings the community together and welcomes students to FMU by allowing them to directly engage with almost every aspect of the university.
“I really enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, music and activities,” Leigh Detalo, sophomore industrial engineering major, said. “I definitely think FMU should host more events like First Friday because it allows the community to interact with each other.”
When thinking of suggestions for next year, Detalo believed that adding some water features and more variety in food trucks may help increase student turnout.
“Because of the hot weather, it would be cool to see something like a water slide and more food options,” Detalo said.
Events like First Friday are great opportunities for new and returning students to meet friends and have fun. To see what Student Life has planned next, one can view the event calendar on the FMU website.