The Simpson Student Government Association kicked off its first-ever Student Activity Day with a celebration featuring ice cream, games and a scavenger hunt. 

The activity day was decorated with clubs and organizations all around campus for students to browse and see what piqued their interests.

Complimentary snacks and ice cream added an extra appeal for students to get outside and have some fun.

SGA offered students the opportunity to grab a club scavenger hunt sheet to complete for a chance to win a grand prize. Students who complete the club scavenger hunt sheet will be given two new Simpson face masks and the potential to take home the anonymous grand prize.

With the stress of enduring a long semester without a spring break to split it up, the activity day served as a moment to forget about the stress and enjoy some leisurely exploring.

“I think that students needed some sort of break. This was an exciting way for students to learn about different organizations around campus and what leadership abilities each organization can bring to campus. Overall, I thought it was a super successful event,” Chase Henry, Student Body Vice President, said.

With the obvious challenges of COVID-19, clubs and organizations across campus haven’t been able to reach prospective students as much as they would’ve hoped to; thus, they’ve resorted to virtual events over Zoom. Students like Riley Dykstra were excited about student activity day because it was the first time they could see what the clubs were all about. 

“This is the one time that a lot of organizations get to actually have recognition. I was at three of these tables, and there was so much stuff to be given away. It’s great that all these organizations are now having all these students come forward, showing interest, and signing up,” Dykstra said. 

One club that seemed to garner a lot of interest was the Exercise Science Club, which promotes health and exercises information on campus for staff, faculty and students. The club focuses on areas like nutrition, athletic activities and different promotional events.

Darian Garcia, the President of the exercise science club, talked about the challenges surrounding COVID-19, how they stayed creative throughout the year, and how they reeled some students into the club.

“It’s been really hard because our turnout usually comes from in-person events, and we haven’t been able to do that, which results in a smaller turnout. We just held a 5K virtually, and it was actually easier for us to do. We’ve had to become super creative in our approach. But thankfully, today we’ve had nine different people sign up for the club so far,” Garcia said.

As the spring semester comes to a close, student activity day acts as a small reminder that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Even though this may not seem like a monumental occasion, you can tell that students enjoyed being able to get an introduction to what all goes on at Simpson in a typical year.