Georgia State University students volunteered as actors in the Freak Show on Edgewood Haunted House. (Photo Credit: Whitney Williams)
On October 26, Georgia State University’s residency hall, the University Lofts, organized a haunted house for the school’s residents. “Freak Show on Edgewood” was run by the residence hall’s community council.
The haunted house attracted over 200 students from the combined residence halls.
Georgia State students coordinated every aspect of the haunted house.
The council created the theme, ordered the supplies and promoted the event all in the matter of a few weeks.
Other students also volunteered their services to do make-up and act in the haunted house.
Scary music, strobe lights, fog machines and screams set the tone for the students waiting in line.
Inside, a variety of killer clowns, creepy dolls and zombies spooked the students.
Many attendees that made it to the end were impressed and praised the turnout of the event. Others were too afraid to finish walking through it.
The Lofts Community Council put on another event the same week, since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, that was called “What’s Love Got to do With It?” It featured testimonials from survivors and a self-defense class led by officers from Georgia State University’s police department.
The success of those events would not have been possible without the budget that the council received at the beginning of the semester. This budget is allocated from the fees that students pay when they enroll at the university.
The student fees also go to dozens of other organizations that host events throughout the school year.
Many students may not know that they essentially pay for the “free” food, activities and information that are provided around campus.
Spotlight Programs Board, the largest student-run organization at Georgia State University, receives a large sum of funds from student fees. The organization is responsible for some of the biggest events at the university.
The most notable event is Pantherpalooza, where the organization books musical artists to put on a concert in the university’s sports arena.
Not all events are centered around the entertainment factor. Many organizations and academic departments organize lectures and workshops that allow students to improve skills and build their resumes.
There are many benefits to getting involved in campus events, whether it’s planning them or just attending them.
Students can also receive free information from expert panels on a variety of topics.
Career fairs serve as opportunities to network with businesses and to get insight on the potential job offers that may be available to students after they graduate.
Georgia State University student Angela Robinson said, “I like to go to events to see the effort that was put into them and see what free stuff I can get.”
According to U.S. News, going to college campus events helps students build community. You can become more connected to your school and make new friends with similar interests.
“A lot of people that don’t go to events say, ‘I don’t have enough friends or I don’t get out enough’ but the events give you those things,” said Robinson.
Being in an organization that plans events can serve as a great resumé builder. Depending on your career plans, future employers look for experience in certain fields because getting a job is not all about having excellent grades.
Students that have a lot of time on their hands can get involved to improve their college experience and keep them busy.
“I’m not able to stay around for a lot of the stuff that goes on around campus because I work when I don’t have class, and I also don’t live on campus,” said Lillian Teffere, a Georgia State University student.
Even students that do not have much free time to join an organization can volunteer at events when they get a chance. This choice will allow them to gain volunteer or community service hours.
College events and programs are a chance for students to gain experience and knowledge in academic fields that they may not be able to take classes in.
For example, if a student is interested in the film industry, but he or she does not have space in his or her course schedule to take film and media classes, he/she can attend seminars and movie screenings where experts and other students discuss films.
The experiences that a student can gain from attending or working an event can turn into memories that last a lifetime.
“Being involved in some of the creations of the events can help you grow as a leader,” said Student Affairs Advisor to Spotlight Programs Board Yabsera Demissie.
Demissie also added, “The reason that I have this position is because when I was a student I went to the events, I got really involved, and I wanted to be that person to help students have a great experience on campus.”
The benefits of attending campus activities are endless for college students. The possibilities just have to be explored.