Balloon animals at Fall Festival
Ohio University has a strong sense of school spirit throughout the season of fall. There are busy weekends such as hOUmecoming and hallOUween in October. These weekends are jam-packed with activities, but they are not free or relaxing for most students. One of the best parts of fall at OU are the events put on by Ohio UPC. Every Wednesday they have the Flavor of the Week. This is when they pick one flavor and give out free food that has the specific flavor from 12-2 p.m. on the first floor of Baker Center.
One of the big events that Ohio UPC puts on during the fall is the Fall Festival. It was held on Thursday, Oct. 15. at South Beach so that there was plenty of room for the stage and activities going on. The event was completely free for students. There was a whole table of free food that was fall-themed. There were also plenty of activities for students to enjoy like painting pumpkins and mugs. There was a man making balloon animals and hats, as well as a face painter.
Students painting pumpkins on South Beach
This organization sets up events that are relaxing as well as enjoyable for students of all ages. Hannah Hershfield, who is a junior involved in Ohio UPC, joined at first to get involved and to plan fun events. When I asked why she stayed she said, “I made great friends and it had leadership rolls.” Hershfield now works on the public relations team for Ohio UPC and wants to pursue a career in PR, so this is a good experience for her.
The creative events group is the team that comes up with ideas like the Fall Festival. There are different groups that are designated to plan certain events thoughout the year. Ohio UPC has been around for a long time and is one of the top three organizations on campus. According to Hershfield, UPC “promotes a happy environment for OU students.”
Free food and crafts are fun for everyone. The organization does a great job promoting itself and the university. It provides students with safe and fun things to do on campus.