Video Portion by Grace Leone
Written Story by Harry Boyce
On Thursday, the Bellarmine Student Government Association hosted the spring equinox
event in the Sienna Arboretto.
The Spring Equinox is defined by Britannica as the moment where the day and night are exactly of equal length, falling on March 21. According to Britannica, many cultural festivals take place during the equinox to celebrate it as a day of rebirth, where family will reunite.
SGA’s public relations committee organized the Bellarmine event. Lindsea Eggen, the vice president of PR, said she had been planning the event for a long time. She said she drove for one hour the night before to collect tablecloths from her grandparents to use to decorate for the event.
Eggen said that more than 17 registered student organizations and student offices took part in the event. Eggen said she had passed a bill at the SGA assembly to fund it and ensured every RSO had what they needed.
There was also prizes available. Those who visited eight tables would enter into a drawing for a chance to win. The prizes were a spring basket, a picnic set and tickets to the Kentucky Derby Oaks.
The event had a fruit and cheese board, as well as snacks such as nuts, cookies and crackers, which depleted rapidly.
Eggen said: “Spring is a new beginning. I sound so cliché.”
Eggen said she has “spring resolutions” instead of New Years’ resolutions because she will be more motivated in the springtime. “I could not be more excited… I am not a winter girl at all,” she said.
Many RSOs had tables at the event, including the Phi Mu sorority, Campus Wellness, the Crochet Club and the Bellarmine Reproductive Justice Society.
There were also many activities, such as basketball and chalk drawing. Zoey Parker, a senior, said she was trying to draw Valor, Bellarmine’s mascot, with chalk.
Several RSOs were promoting themselves at the event.
Adriana Eggen, a junior, said she was simultaneously tabling for Phi Mu, health and accessibility and fundraising for Bellarmine University Dance Marathon.
Kennedy Tandy, a sophomore, tabled for Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre society. She said she brought fencing equipment to teach people how to swordfight, how to punch and kick people.
“Theatrically, not really,” she said. Tandy said Alpha Psi Omega would hold a stage fighting class on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Cralle Theater.
Other RSOs, such as Pen and Sword, hosted art activities. Kel Proctor, a junior, said the group was writing haikus. One of the haikus displayed at their table said, “her golden hair, an angel has blessed us, I love my girlfriend.”
Proctor said Taylor Bottorff, another member of Pen and Sword, was doing tarot card readings. Liam Leake, a sophomore, said Bottorff told him something interesting would happen to him in the future.
Leake said he enjoyed the merging of Easter and the spring equinox with the egg dying event. He said he had become more aware because he never had paid attention to the spring equinox before the event.
Marcela Peroco was tabling for the psychology RSO and had cards for people to make letters of gratitude. Peroco said everyone who came to the table was “so energetic and cute.” She said this was her first spring equinox ever and said she was still trying to figure out the meaning of it.
Other tables at the event, such as Health and Accessibility, handed out free sunscreen. The Environmental Committee gave away plant pots.
The event peaked at 7 p.m., where almost every table had students visiting.
Norah Walkopf, a junior, visited several tables. She said she made a seed card with the
Beekeeping Club. The cards are made of recycled paper, supplied by Mock Trial, she said. Walkopf was also able to make a suncatcher, which she had not seen since elementary school, she said. The Residence Hall Association provided the suncatchers.
Walkopf said: “You can feel that every day is longer. It’s finally nice to be outside and there’s finally flowers on the trees.”
Another attendee, Xana Mayfield, said she visited every table. Mayfield said she won a prize for answering a question about sexual health at the Reproductive Justice Society’s table. “I got to [pinpoint] the uterus with BU Reproductive Justice [on their diagram],” she said.
Mayfield said despite the firepit burning throughout the event, she was the first to make s’mores. She said she began a trend and people stayed after the event to make them.
Many attendees said they enjoyed the event. Walkopf called it “the cutest, most fun event on campus I’ve seen this year.”
“It’s a breath of fresh air,” Mayfield said, “I’ve been stressed lately and it was nice to have an outside event.”
At the end of the event, Lindsea Eggen announced the winners of the lottery. Walkopf won the spring basket, which included LEGO flowers. Samantha Nolan won two tickets to Kentucky Derby Oaks. Mackenzie Murray won the picnic basket.
The next progression from the equinox, the summer solstice, will take place on June 20.
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