On Friday, Sept. 8, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Office of Student Life hosted the annual silent disco on the Kirkhof Center lawn. The event routinely draws large crowds of new and returning students to fill in the plaza in front of the Cook Carillon Tower.
Attending students lined up near Cook Carillon Tower to temporarily trade their student IDs in for a set of over the ear headphones. The event had multiple DJ’s in attendance that the students could pick from. All the headphones were hooked up to varying DJ’s, so students could pick from different music styles. As the night went on, attendees could flip through stations and “jam out” to a variety of music without a single song being played aloud. The event stands out from regular DJ shows because attendees can simply switch the “station” if they do not like the song.
Several organizations held their own pre-games before the silent disco started at 8 p.m. Campus Ministry held their own form of a pre-game before the event.
In previous years, Campus Ministry served refreshments like soft drinks and various snacks at the event to keep the attendees comfortable and having fun. Jordan Satterwaite, a member of the student engagement team, said Campus Ministry was excited to partake in the Silent Disco again
“We know college students love free food and we just want to be able to serve them in what ways we can,” Satterwaite said.
Campus Ministry planned to set up early at the event and they stayed for the duration with kegs of root beer and other snacks. Yard games were a new addition, set up for students who may need a break from the disco. Campus Ministry was eager to meet the students where they were and be a supporting presence, even if that may be hydrating exhausted disco-goers.
“We feel strongly that we want to just care for students in general, whether they’re interested in Campus Ministry or not. Serve the needy and serve people that might need (it),” Satterwaite said.
Satterwaite said Campus Ministry hopes to do more events to support CAB programming to serve as many students as possible.
“We want to be good partners and friends of the university,” Satterwaite said.
Campus Ministry plans to grow their event presence. Following the pregame to the silent disco, hosted a free cookout prior to the football game on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Campus Ministry knows how many students have the need for extra meals and how their presence on campus can be used for good by meeting the needs of those students. Their goal is to feed as many students as they can.
“It is a really tangible need, especially a resource that many college students might not always have,” Satterwaite said.
Campus Ministry plans to host events every Friday night, whether collaborating with other events going on or events of their own. They also post all events and information on their website. Campus Ministry aims to create events for students to have fun, get active and in most cases enjoy a meal. Campus Ministry hopes students will be able to find their community at GVSU, regardless of their religious affiliation.