Sunshine Unwind: Warm Weather Wakes Campus

By Lilee Cecchini

Picnic blankets and lawn games scatter across the Great Lawn as music plays and

popcorn is served. Giant inflatable bumper balls roll down the hill with students, sporting tank tops and shorts, packed tightly inside. Jenga blocks crash, and beanbags soar while ultraviolet rays emanate from a clear sky.

After the start of the spring semester, filled with low temperatures and winter storms,

Purchase students took advantage of the sudden warmth on Tuesday during “Sunshine Unwind” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This spontaneous event, hosted by the Purchase Programming Activities Board, welcomed students to interact with one another while reaping the benefits of Vitamin D.

From left to right, Senna Levy, Molly Hocking Petrulis, Max Eggen and Maddy Olcott playing in the inflatable bumper balls (Photo by Lilee Cecchini)

“I was walking by, because I just wanted to sit outside, and I saw these giant hamster

balls, and I wanted to get in one,” says Maddy Olcott, a junior painting and drawing major.

Another student stumbled upon the commotion in passing and decided to stay for a picnic. “I was walking about and just saw the event. I didn’t even know it was happening, actually,” said Zariel Melendrez, a junior dance major.

"I love to just be involved, especially in the community, and it's nice getting out of the

dance building because I’m always stuck there,” said Melendrez, explaining why she decided to join her peers.

Another student said she intentionally joined the gathering and explained her reasons for

attending. “I’m trying to be connected, and especially since the weather is going to be really bad soon, I want to take advantage of the good weather with my girls,” said Abby Wilburgh, a freshman theater and performance major.

One attendee, Adrian Taillepierre, a freshman cinema studies major, observed the turnout

for this event and said, “I haven’t seen so many people outside just to eat, it feels like an actual community on campus now instead of just, you know, seeing people go to the Hub.”

Taillepierre also mentioned that attending this event and participating in the activities helped him make new friends. “I was like, ‘Do you guys want to join me?’ when I was in one of the bumper balls, and then from there, we were just having fun.”

Other students highlighted their excitement about these inflatables. “I like the idea of having really ginormous toys because it makes them so much more

fun,” said Molly Hocking Petrulis, a junior photography major. “I feel like college students don’t usually get to be thrown around like this. I just want to be thrown around in this ball.”

Petrulis says it's important for college students to entertain their inner child by balancing fun, such as rolling down the Great Lawn with friends, and working. Olcott agrees with her friend and said, "Arguably, college students need even more playtime.”

These inflatable toys and captivating environment were provided by the PAB, a student-run organization that arranges events to engage the campus community and provide activities for students to partake in.

Malika Thompson, the coordinator of student activities, said, “I checked the weather

forecast and saw it was going to be really nice out, and I was like, ‘I think the students would like to engage in something on the Great Lawn.’”

Malika Thompson (left) and Adrian Taillepierre (right) working on a teetering Jenga tower (Photo by Lilee Cecchini) 

Thompson said she received help setting up the games, snacks and music from her team of four PAB members, and notes that they get free housing for their assistance. Interns from the African Diaspora Project, working under the Global Black Studies Department, also contribute to these student life events. “With a full team, it's easier than it sounds,” said Thompson.

Thompson says she was happy with the student presence on Tuesday; however, she

acknowledges that not every event is well attended. “Sometimes students are so caught up in their own things that they’re not paying attention, and I wish that they would know more about stuff like this going on.”

These events are announced on Instagram, on the Purchase website and are included in the student newsletter that is sent out every week to students' emails. The Purchase Residential Student Life, Purchase Activities Board, African Diaspora Project and residence halls all have their own Instagram accounts that Thompson urges students to follow to stay updated on the current campus events.

Thompson explains that the two main goals of events like these are engagement and

identity. “Being able to spend time with people who are just like you is important because a sense of belonging is really important in your higher education journey.”

Students lingered on the Great Lawn long after the event came to a close, enjoying the

last moments of warm weather before temperatures dropped again later in the week. Taillepierre says he is looking forward to future outdoor events in the upcoming spring and says that's because, “It’s all about making the most of your time here.”

(From left to right), Kayla Gaffin, Amani Dao, Abby Wilburgh, Ash Hilare and Zariel Melendrez enjoying their picnic on the Great Lawn (Photo by Lilee Cecchini)