By Peter Edgar
On Nov. 17 Florida Southern College will hosted Southern Spirit, an evening-long celebration of our school’s culture, prestige and honor. Southern Spirit promises a number of unique activities.
The main purpose of the event, was actually “twofold” according to Kate Whitaker, the Director of Marketing and Communications at FSC.
Southern Spirit celebrated the school’s national recognition in the Princeton Review as a top 381 college in the nation, twelfth college in Intramural Sports and fifth most beautiful campus nationwide.
In addition to celebrating FSC’s honors, Southern Spirit will stand as a “student appreciation event.” Whitaker notes that it’s because of student involvement and participation in activities that FSC is so great.
True to Florida Southern fashion, an event isn’t successful without food, and Southern Spirit featured a number of local food trucks to which students will be given vouchers. According to Whitaker, six food trucks were slated for the event that would offer “a variety so there’s something for everyone.”
“Something for everyone” seems to be a theme in this event; the organizers will be offered giveaways to students. The new Princeton Review survey was available for students to take, and those who completed the surveys were given free t-shirts and an entry into a raffle.
There were three tiers for the raffle . During the event, five separate Apple iPads were given away, 10 annual passes to Universal Studios were in the running and also a lower tier of wireless bluetooth speakers went home to several lucky students. Beyond the raffle, though, all event attendees received door prizes simply for their presence at the event.
Perhaps the most exciting event of the evening, however, was the performance of FSC President Dr. Anne Kerr. Kate Whitaker noted that while she is already famous campus-wide for her wobble, that dance is by now rather outdated. Dr. Kerr has, therefore, had been working with the dance department on a more modern, current favorite, which Whitaker was unable to disclose because, in her words, “I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Additional presentations and performances were scheduled for the event which included presentations by the athletics teams and the cheerleading squad.
As another piece to the student appreciation aspect of Southern Spirit, the school will also take a moment to celebrate the successes of the women’s lacrosse and and basketball teams in their recent successes.
Beyond Dr. Kerr’s dance performance, food and raffles, at Southern Spirit there were a number of games and events that took place. Activities ranged from life-size checkers and chess to an arcade trailer. Mike Crawford, the Assistant Dean of Student Development, also booked out a bungee activity as well. Furthermore, a live band was ready to provide music for those souls brave enough to engage in karaoke.
Whitaker and other event organizers assured students that Southern Spirit provided a unique, campus and community building experience that Whitaker hoped to help “bring everyone together.”
Southern Spirit is a Passport-points event for first-year students, categorized under School Spirit. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. and is open to full-time faculty and their families as well.
