Celebrating their fifth anniversary as a Fairfield@Night tradition, Stuff a Stag happened Saturday, Dec. 2, in the Faber Hall Commons, giving students the chance to create their own stuffed animal friends to bring home for the holidays.
However, this year, one of the co-managers of F@N, Olivia McEvoy ’19, stated that, “we added more animals to meet the popular demand of the event, and added the cookie decorating portion.” In addition to a variety of stuffed animals being offered, there was a great deal of decorating cookies and a table of gingerbread men “with lots of toppings and decorations,” according to McEvoy.
When asked about this tradition, which has been going on since 2013, co-manager of F@N, Marydjina Barionnette ’18, noted that, “This is a tradition for Southside Café which was here before I even came to Fairfield University. I suppose the intended inspiration [for the event] was simply to give something to the community and lift everyone’s mood during the end of the year.”
Sophomore Kyle Morehead, who was in attendance for the event, felt as though, “it was a really great event for the community to get together and have fun before finals.”
Barionnette also added that this event gives everyone a nice break from the last few stressful weeks of the semester and that “everyone loves stuffed animals.”
In terms of how Stuff a Stag and the many events offered by Fairfield @ Night are great for the University community to have each year, McEvoy pointed out that, “Fairfield @ Night provides great programs that promote alternative late-night event options on our college campus.”
McEvoy went on further to say that it is nice to have events like these because they really show that Fairfield is always striving for there to be something to do for students on campus. These events, especially Stuff a Stag, are always fun and interactive for everyone, according to McEvoy.
Another student in attendance, Bonnie Vieten ‘20, when asked about why she went to the event said that, “I thought it was a really fun event and I’m glad I got to make a really cool stuffed bear.”
In addition to decorating cookies, the event also offered a lot of food and drinks, as well as board games and music, according to Barionnette. There were also Yogibos, which are large bean bag chairs and pillows, for people to sit and relax on, she later added.
One of the key reasons as to why Barionnette saw this event as beneficial for the community is that, “it brings people together and allows everyone to express their inner child. Southside is a relaxing, warm and safe environment that allows everyone to enjoy themselves and their friends.”
In terms of the overall turnout, the event usually sees about 300 or so people come by, according to McEvoy. This year there was quite a substantial turnout and it was certainly larger than that of previous years. McEvoy noted that there were over 300 students in attendance this year.
She added that, “Fairfield @ Night provides a fun, yet relaxing environment to break up the chaos of the school week,” to which she noted that it is something she always sees as a plus as a manager for these types of events.
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