Southern Utah University’s Non-Traditional Student Services hosted their annual Fall Family Festival on Thursday, Nov 7. The event took place in the Sharwan Smith Student Center starlight room and provided a night of fun fall activities and free food for the entire family to enjoy.
While this year’s fall festival was accessible to all SUU students, its main intended audience was students with children and young family members. A variety of children’s arts and crafts, music, dancing, games and even hot soup and desserts were offered. All were completely free.
There are similar events like this every fall for traditional students. The Non-Traditional Student Services wanted to make this event a more children-friendly experience.
Ashley Fekay, event coordinator and non-traditional student herself, said, “We have working lives and families we have to raise, which is why we try to have these events at a better time for our schedules.”
A majority of SUU events are during working hours, late at night or at another time that can be difficult for non-traditional students to attend, which can make it challenging for these students to get involved. This is why Non-Traditional Student Services does their best to accommodate the schedules and needs of these students with their own events.
“It’s good to have that community engagement and to get other people involved and feeling connected,” Fekay added.
Non-Traditional Student Services is an organization dedicated to providing resources to SUU students who have children, are married, widowed, over the age of twenty five and more. These groups make up 43% of the student population, and this organization tries to provide multiple events that are more easily accessible to these groups than regular student events may be.
They have a variety of resources available to these students, including fun events and child care information. To stay updated on event dates or for more non-traditional student resources, visit their Website.
Author: Briar Adams
Editor: Heather Turner
Copy Editor: Kayd Johanson
Photos by Margaux Feret
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