Student Life

A new semester is a always an exciting time both in and out of the classroom. It provides you with opportunities for meeting new people, learning new things and making new connections. You may be looking for new groups to join or maybe you are looking to motivate your current organization; a new semester can provide a great starting block. There are a myriad of opportunities available to help you get involved;

Some organizations on campus, such as Greek Life, hold Spring Recruitment events for anyone interested in becoming part of the Greek community. We also have an active Volunteer program that provides daily opportunities to become engaged in the community and earn service hours. Maybe you are wanting to get your current organization involved in campus activities, if so, there are several large events that you can participate in. Every April, VSU host’s its own Relay for Life on the Front Lawn. This event is a great way to get your organization to participate and network with other campus organizations. Not only is it an awesome experience, it serves a great cause. The Office of Student Life also hosts networking mixers for members of all student organizations. These are another wonderful way to meet people and learn about other campus organizations to again, make connections.

The possibilities are endless so go to CAB event, volunteer at the animal shelter, sign your organization up for Relay, just get connected!

One particular week every Fall brings about a certain kind of energy and excitement to this beautiful campus. For that one week the campus is filled with spirit, tradition and of course Blazer pride. Naturally, we’re talking about Homecoming and this years Homecoming was pretty dang amazing. The week kicked off with a Carnival on the Front Lawn that was put on by our office and SGA. Student groups set up tables with carnival games while a giant inflatable slide, rock climbing wall and extreme trampoline jump helped add excitement to the atmosphere. Tuesday consisted of a new event that was sponsored by Housing and Residence Life…tricycle races. This event was pure entertainment to watch. Student groups competed against each other in a relay race that took place on the pedestrian mall. It sounds pretty easy but judging by the broken pedal, bent handlebars and frustrated participants, the old saying “just like riding a bike trike” isn’t necessarily true. Congrats to team Chi Omega and Sigma Nu for the big win. Also on Tuesday, the annual sheet sign and sidewalk chalk competition was help. The walkway outside of Palms looked like a piece of art or graffiti, whichever you prefer. Either way, the creativity of our students is pretty incredible.

Wednesday was the annual VSU-Wild Adventures night. This is hands down, the best attended student event on campus. This year set a new record with over 4,300 students enjoying the rides, haunted trails and  foot long corn dogs. On Thursday students had to opportunity to attend the Presidents Cookout on Reames field and the walk next door to the PE Complex for the Pep Rally and (back by popular demand) Lip Sync. The Black Light Pep Rally was a new addition last year and doesn’t appear to be going away and for good reason…it’s awesome! The rally starts with the lights going off in the Complex and the black lights coming on. For the next hour student athletes covered in neon paint and tape are introduced followed by the cheerleaders and Red Hots doing routines while glowing in the dark. After the Pep Rally ended, the Lip Sync competition started rolling. Student groups paired up to compete in a dance/lip sync competition that involved a lot of awkward dancing with guys dressed like girls and girls dressed like guys. As always, hilarity ensued. Finally, the week ended on Saturday with the parade, blazergate and football game, which we won.

Good old Homecoming.

Where were you at 3pm on Saturday, September 6th 2014? If you are a real VSU Blazer, than you were at the inaugural student tailgate happening at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Slater Street. For 4 hours, that grassy lot became host to one of the greatest outpouring of Blazer pride that this member of the VSU family has ever seen. Student tailgating has finally come to Valdosta State and it. was. AWESOME! Over the summer, members of Athletics, the Dean of Students and Student Life formed a group to increase student participation and support at football games this fall. After researching what other schools do at their Athletic events, it was decided that we needed a designated student tailgate, something like The Grove at Ole Miss or Texas A&M Kingsville. 

It was decided that VSU would provide the space and the musicbut the students would provide the fun. The lot (which has yet to be named) can fit approximately 80- 10’x20′ spaces, which students can reserve to bring tents, tables, tv’s, grills, couches or anything else that will fit.

The next football game is this Saturday, September 20th vs. Delta State. Help us turn this into

this

This year marked the 23rd annual “Happening” at VSU and with 325 registered student organizations, VSU departments and business/community groups, it was the biggest and baddest one yet. If you’re not familiar with the Happening, it is an information fair that takes place on the Font Lawn every year to help new students acclimate to all of the various opportunities available to them both on and off campus.

Other than the extreme heat (which has become as much a tradition as the event itself) the day was one filled with free food, free stuff, and free fun. This event, which was once held on Palms Quad (picture that, if you will…) has grown to become the the largest attended event at Valdosta State and continues to grow each year.

See what it’s like with the Drones Eye-View.

We even made the local news…ballin’!

For more pictures from The Happening, checkout VSU’s flickr.

While we may only be three days into the new semester, academically speaking, Student Life has actually been going strong for almost two weeks. We are in the thick of Fall Explosion with 30 exciting programs and events just for you, our students. We have everything from bungee jumping on trampolines, to mystery tours in the library, to a comedy show and karaoke. While some of the events have come and gone, there is still a ton of great opportunities to look forward to. Free food, free stuff, and free fun!

Blazer Blitz