Next time you sink into your seat in Dundon-Berchtold after wandering through the maze of hallways, take a peek at the cross on the wall of your classroom. Like all other academic buildings on campus, each classroom in DB is stocked with a crucifix - but unlike the other buildings, these crosses all come with their own unique stories. Acquired from across the globe, every individual crucifix has its own cultural background and history that it will now lend to UP.
From May 7-30, the Moreau Center led an immersion in Northern Tanzania for the first time through its sister school, the Mwenge Catholic University. The immersion brought UP students to a retreat center at the Mwenge Catholic University, as well as brief stays with host families to orient them with cultural events and traditions. Experiences included learning basic Swahili, bartering in traditional markets, attending weddings and confirmations and bonding with the students of Mwenge.
Students kicked off the start of the school year with CPB's annual Riverboat. Although there was a brief power outage, it did not stop students from dancing, riding a mechanical bull and eating lots of free food, all while rocking yee-haw outfits to go along with this year's western theme.
UP's class of 2023 moved in to the residence halls on Thursday. Move in included a happy corgi, parents helping students loft beds and hall directors hugging llamas.
The Holi Festival went down with flying colors on Sunday as students threw a rainbow of colored powders into the air while wearing white T-shirts and learning Bollywood dances. Holi, also known as The Festival of Colors, is a Hindu tradition in India that signifies the arrival of spring. To celebrate, students gathered in East Quad to dance, throw colors, eat snacks and have some fun in the rain.
Hall council members across campus organized the first ever ‘Battle of the Quads’ on Saturday, where dorms from North, East and West Quads battled it out in tug-of-war, an Easter egg hunt, cornhole and more. After a hard fought battle, East quad, who had a big group from Shipstad, came out out on top at the first ever ‘Battle of the Quads’ champions. After the games, students went to the Mehling Ballroom for free burgers and hotdogs.
"Spring has officially sprung on The Bluff. Despite some occasional showers, students are soaking up the sunshine, admiring the lovely cherry blossoms, and participating in a variety of outdoor activities like softball and pick up basketball games. Check out what students have been up to in the last few weeks:
On Saturday night, The Chiles Center echoed with excitement as students and even visiting parents from Villa's Dads' Weekend danced and sang along to bops from Quinn XCII and Whethan at Rock the Bluff. Whethan, a DJ known for hits like "Good Nights" and "Savage," started off the night with electronic bass music and remixes. The headliner, Quinn XCII, who is currently on his "From Tour With Love" tour, pumped up the crowd with well-known songs like "Straightjacket" and "Always Been You." The Beacon got up close to capture some of the night's best moments.
Diversity and Inclusion programs celebrated Women's History Month at their monthly Pilots Paint event on Thursday evening. Nearly 30 students gathered in St. Mary's lounge to create artwork in honor of women.
On Wednesday afternoon, Active Minds hosted their annual Fresh Check Day, a carnival-like mental health fair, in the Quiet Side of The Commons. Several clubs and organizations like Students Against Sexual Assault, ROTC and the Health and Counseling Center set up booths featuring fun activities like bracelet-making and provided information on various aspects of mental health.
On Friday night, UP celebrated their annual International Night in The Commons where students represented different cultures and countries including China, Cambodia, Mexico, Italy, England and many more. The night featured performances from various students who did a Bollywood fusion dance, a Tibetan cultural dance and more. The crowd was also entertained by music from Mariachi Viva Mexico.
On Friday night, the Filipino American Students Association (FASA) held their fifth annual Pilipino Cultural Night, an event celebrating Filipino culture. This year's theme was "Hanggang Ngayon," which means "Until Now" in Tagalog. The event featured Filipino food, spoken word poetry, musical performances and traditional and modern Filipino dances including Tinikling. Members of FASA had been preparing for PCN for months, choreographing dances and making their own decorations.
On March 14, also known as Pi Day, students gathered in front of the library to smash cream pies in the faces of some of their favorite math professors.
Students danced through time at CPB's annual Dance of the Decades at the Pure Space Saturday night. The Rock the Bluff artists were also announced in small envelopes at the dance. This year's artists are Quinn XCII and Whethan.
The Chinese Language and Culture Club celebrated the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, February 13. The club held the event in the Diversity Center which club members decorated with lanterns. Attendees enjoyed the celebration with food, character-writing, and drawings in honor of the Year of the Pig.
On Thursday Jan. 31, Diversity and Inclusion Programs hosted Pilots Paint in observance of Diversity Dialogues. Students recreated Anne Shams' "Pomegranate Tree of Life," a piece that incorporates Jewish, Christian and Muslim imagery in a single painting.
As part of Diversity Dialogues, the Hawai’i Club hosted hula dance lessons and Makahiki games on Saturday Jan. 26 in Beauchamp. Students laughed with their friends while playing tug-of-war, participating in a water balloon toss and dancing their hearts out. Diversity Dialogues events will continue throughout the week and conclude with a keynote address on Friday Feb. 1.
