Spring signifies the opportunity for students to eat their hearts out, help the community, play in the mud, learn more about the earth and much more through the series of events known as Spring Daze.
Spring Daze happens every year and hosts many traditional events such as “Strawberry Jubilee” and “Fais Do Do.” The week of events begins on Monday, April 16and lasts through Saturday, April 21. All events are free of charge with the exception of “Fais Do Do.”
“Each year the Division for Student Affairs partners with other areas on campus to host Spring Daze,” said Cherie Thriffiley, director of the Office for Student Engagement. “This year’s Spring Daze is sure to be the best yet. No matter what your interests are there is something for you to enjoy.”
The week will kick off with a water bottle hand-out sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) to promote the Spring Daze events as well as awareness of their services.
Tuesday brings “Fais Do Do,” a traditional crawfish boil event sponsored by Auxiliary Services and Residential Life held outside of Cayman Cafe from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Attendants can eat as much crawfish as they wish with the use of a meal swipe, $10 of Lion’s Lagniappe or Cub Cash, or $12 plus tax for cash or credit. The first 50 guests will receive free T-shirts. One of the traditional “Fais Do Do” highlights is a corn on the cob eating contest.
Also, Tuesday is Earth Day from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., sponsored by the Communication Campaigns Graduate Class, which will be set up in fair style in the Student Union Mall with several tables from NASA, Global Wildlife, Reconnect, Dr. Bryan Schisler and more. Students will learn more about how to be sustainable and take care of the earth. Campus Activities Board (CAB) will be serving popcorn and Campus Dining will be serving cake.
Wednesday brings the beloved Strawberry Jubilee that has been held every spring since 1980, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Student Union Park. This CAB sponsored spring tradition offers red beans and rice, strawberry cake, strawberries and the popular strawberry eating contest. There will also be games, activity booths and music.
Also on Wednesday the Alumni Association will host “Golden Silence,” a program that honors deceased Southeastern alumni, students, faculty and staff. The traditional candlelight ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Park. To include a name in the “Golden Silence” event contact the Alumni Association at 504-549-2150 or 1-800-758-2586.
Thursday brings the annual Part-Time Job Fair, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the Student Union Mall. The job fair will host employers looking for summer employees, but will also offer temporary jobs and internships. It will be a casual event with no registration required. Company representatives will be accepting job applications and resumes.
Friday brings “Swamp Bowl”, a mud volleyball tournament, which will be held in front of the Pennington Student Activity Center. Each team has a minimum of six players and a maximum of nine players, with registration fees of $50 per team. Entry forms and liability releases are to be returned to Student Union Rm. 233 by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18. During the same day, there will be a mandatory team captains meeting at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Captains, or captain representatives, will receive their team playing schedule and T-shirts. There will be music and student groups selling concessions.
The week will come to a close on Saturday with the Big Event, sponsored by SGA, which is one big day of community service during which students give back to the surrounding areas of Hammond and Ponchatoula. Students will be doing everything from painting houses and raking yards to laying bricks. This event was founded at Texas A&M in 1982 and has seen tremendous growth ever since. Southeastern began participating in the Big Event in 2010. There are currently 800 students signed up to do 50 different projects.
For more information on Spring Daze events contact Thriffiley at cherie.thriffiley@selu.edu or 985-549-2120.