Student Engagement
Scavenger hunt engages first-year students
Photos by Lee Ferris
A little rain couldn’t keep freshmen students from competing in the Great First-Year Scavenger Hunt early in the Fall 2023 semester.
Organized by the Mount’s First-Year Experience (FYE) program, the scavenger hunt served to familiarize students with important offices and people on campus, while creating memorable experiences through team-based activities.
Approximately 200 freshmen worked in teams – and against the clock – to complete activities in several locations on campus in just 55 minutes. Once located, the teams completed an activity before moving on to the next location. These activities included making a citation out of Lego with the Kaplan Family Library and the Writing Center, answering Mount trivia questions in the Desmond Center for Wellness and Community Engagement, and learning breathing and self-awareness techniques with the Mount’s Counseling Services team.
The scavenger hunt was coordinated by Billy Biersack, instructional designer and adjunct instructor; Brianna Bosco, assistant director of Digital Communications; Mike Daven, professor of Mathematics; Tisha Dunstan, administrative assistant for the Writing Center and FYE; Gina Evers, director of the Writing Center and FYE; and Gina Trask, assistant librarian for Assessment and Instruction.
The FYE program cultivates community-based learning, academic success, the personal development necessary for college life, and a connection to the Mount as first-year students become active members in our community of learners.
Play on: workshop explores creative game design
Photos by Lee Ferris
Players tagged each other in an ever-shrinking playfield, protected giant felt “bacon” strips from friends turned thieves, and challenged each other in Rock, Paper, Scissors for the right to evolve to the ultimate being: Elvis Presley.
That sounds like it should be a kids’ game show hosted by Mark Summers, but it actually was all part of the “Come Out and Play” workshop and game event for faculty, staff, and students.
Hosted by Pete Vigeant, creative director of the Come Out & Play organization, the college community learned how games are designed and what makes them fun.
As Vigeant demonstrated, sometimes changing a single element of a game (known as a game mechanic) can turn a ho-hum classic like Tag into a fantastic new experience. Likewise, adding a single new game mechanic can change moment to moment gameplay into something completely different, and sometimes, unexpected.
Take Rock, Paper, Scissors, for example. Usually just used as a quick way to make a decision when there’s no coin available to flip, Vigeant created a new game with unique strategies and goals by simply adding the concept of the winner “evolving.” With a clear upgrade path and the possibility of losing one’s progress via “devolving” upon losing a match, the stakes – and player interest in the game – were suddenly much higher. Now, the race to the top and holding on to a winning streak were the name of the game.
For students in a variety of fields, from teacher-candidates to Game Programming majors, putting a new spin on old ideas can lead to a more successful career.
The event was presented by the college’s Math and IT division.
First gen-students, next-gen leaders
Photos by Lee Ferris
From unfamiliarity with the college application process and life on campus to potentially increased anxiety, first generation college students must deal with factors that other students might not even be thinking about.
The Mount’s recent First Generation Celebration Day honored these students, the first in their families to go to college, for taking on these challenges – and more.
“First year students are serving as pioneers for their family and are paving the way to academic success for not only themselves, but also the generations that will come after them,” said Brianne Thompson, director of Student Advising in the Mount’s Office of Student Success and co-coordinator of the Knight Summer Connections Program.
The event was held in early November in honor of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This Act created many opportunities and programs that promoted college access, retention and completion for students of an underserved background, many of whom are also first-generation college students.
The celebration was sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Office of Student Success; the Office of Student Engagement; Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP); and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).
Seniors take the trophy at annual Mount Olympics
Photos by Lee Ferris
For a few weeks in the middle of the Fall 2023 semester, the Mount was abuzz with students working together, perfecting their skills, and faithfully reviewing the material.
These students finally took their test on Thursday, October 19. Only this wasn’t your average college exam – it was Mount Olympics, the annual Battle of the Classes.
This year, the Senior class emerged victorious, taking home the coveted Mount Olympics trophy, and the bragging rights.
Students packed the Kaplan Recreation Center for the annual event, one of the highlights of the college’s Spirit Week. Students acted in small skits and went head to head in relay races, an obstacle course, and more.
There’s more to Spirit Week than just Mount Olympics: The festivities kicked off with a powderpuff football game, and culminated with a party at Hudson Hall, where students enjoyed fall foods and classic carnival games.
