Starting off the new school year on a high note is a concept Student Leadership & Development has taken to heart, as exhibited by the success of their September events.
In just the first month of the new school year, an American Music Award-nominated band played to a packed crowd at Sunken Gardens, sororities and fraternities gave it their all at a lip sync competition, and student organizations set up shop to recruit new members. The events, all planned by offices within Student Leadership & Development (SLD), showcased the variety of experiences that LMU offers on campus to students.
“There has been something for everyone in some form or fashion,” says Jason Joyce, Assistant Director for Programming for SLD and Co-Advisor of ASLMU. “None of these events have necessarily been similar. That’s the exciting thing about September.”
SLD’s busy month of marquee events kicked off on Sept. 3 with Club Fest, where students had the opportunity to learn about the more than 190 students organizations at LMU, join an organization or start their own.
Two days later at Gersten Pavilion, chapters from the Greek Life community competed in Lip Sync and Stroll Off. The annual Greek Life event raised more than $14,000, which is donated to local nonprofits. More than 3,500 students, parents and visitors watched sororities and fraternities perform choreographed routines.
Then on Sept. 20, RCA recording artist Walk the Moon headlined Fallapalooza, ASLMU’s annual free concert. The event brought more than 4,000 students and local concertgoers to Sunken Gardens.
“We hit on a great artist at a great time, Joyce said about Fallapalooza, “and that really increased our turnout.”
Like Fallapalooza, Club Fest also saw an increase in attendees this year by expanding to a three-hour event to give students more time to connect with the organizations. There was also a larger turnout of freshman students that attended Lip Sync and Stroll Off, revealing a growing interest in LMU’s Greek Life.
“A lot of the improvements and modifications we made from previous years really came into fruition and worked out well for these events,” says Joyce.
Joyce credits the student programmers and staff for the successful month of events, as well as the constant collaboration between Greek Life, ASLMU and the Registered Student Organizations.
“The biggest factor is the people,” Joyce says. “Our team is amazing. Having positive, upbeat and organized people throughout the behind-the-scenes process is what makes these events so smooth and seamless.”
Joyce added that the best part of his job job is hearing feedback and anecdotes from students. After Fallapalooza, Joyce said many students told him and his staff that the event made them proud to be a Lion.
“As an event organizer, that is all we can ask for,” Joyce says. “Hearing those stories makes it all worth it and really shows SLD how to go in the right direction in terms of what community and campus collaboration looks like.”
Coming up next for SLD is ClubFest 2.0, which is set for Oct. 19-23, and coincides with the launch of LMU EXP Online (LEO). Other exciting events throughout the academic year include the Men’s Basketball Tip-Off Tailgate, the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Greek Week, ASLMU University Affairs’ Dinner & Dialogue events and Comedy for a Cause.
By Nathalie Rubin