Students were let loose at the Gulfport Premium Outlets mall to hang out with friends while stocking up on souvenirs and clothes.
Campus Activities Board sponsored the event, using one of the Lion Traxx buses for transportation to the outlet mall in Gulfport, MS. on Friday, Sept. 6.
“We’re just giving students the opportunity to do something they can’t do every day,” said Todd McElroy, coordinator of CAB. “We seemed to have a larger international contingent. A lot of them don’t have cars, so this gave them the opportunity to go to the outlet mall where they normally wouldn’t have the chance.”
The trip was indeed popular amongst international students including Florent Escoffier, a junior business major from Paris, France who experienced his first trip to an outlet mall, thanks to CAB.
“I wanted to buy some clothes because I am from France, and there is no outlet in France,” said Escoffier.
Overall, Escoffier enjoyed his shopping trip, and had only one criticism to offer.
“The restaurant was a little bit expensive, so next time I will take my sandwich.”
The bus ride was approximately an hour and a half long, and students were permitted four hours of shopping time. Those four hours were well spent by Ivy Gonzales, a junior kinesiology major who proudly listed the things he bought during the trip.
“Pretty much everything the store can offer,” said Gonzales. “Shoes, watches, pants, belts, a whole wardrobe. It was great. I definitely recommend it.”
According to McElroy, this is the first time CAB has ever sponsored such an event. After the shopping trip, McElroy asked the students if they enjoyed the experience and asked for suggestions for improvement. Students expressed satisfaction with the length of time, and many said that they would attend future mall trips sponsored by CAB.