GO! Off-campus events help students explore the region
Hardworking college students need an occasional break from their studies and their surroundings, so Connecticut College makes it easy for them to Get Out!
Get Out! — or GO! — events, planned and funded by the Student Activities Council and the Office of Student Engagement & Leadership Education, include transportation and free or discounted tickets to concerts, movies, plays and much more. The program started in 2009 and has allowed students to see a variety of performances, productions and sporting events each semester as well as experience activities like ziplining, trampoline training, apple-picking and after-hours restaurant dining. They’ve even visited an alpaca farm.
“For new students, it’s a great way to easily negotiate getting out into the community, and discovering what New London and other towns in the area have to offer” said Director of Student Engagement & Leadership Education Scott McEver. “For students who’ve been here longer, it’s a good way to visit their favorite spots at a discount.”
About half of all GO! events are offered at no cost, while others typically range from three to five dollars. A few, like Broadway touring shows and concerts, cost a bit more, but are “still a bargain,” according to McEver. For example, tickets and transportation to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford to see a touring production of the Tony-winning musical “The Book of Mormon” will cost about $30, one-tenth the cost of a Broadway ticket and less than half the Bushnell price.
Cassandra Saimond ’14 has been instrumental in planning GO! events since her freshman year, when she first began serving on the Student Activities Council (SAC), part of the Student Government Association. She’s now the director of off-campus events for SAC as well as a Student Activities Program Assistant in the Office of Student Engagement & Leadership Education. She and her committee seek out popular or quirky things to do, then make all the arrangements with the venue and a transportation provider. They also promote the events on campus.
“I’m applying to grad schools and I’m definitely including how this has helped me with organizational skills, negotiating, event planning, budgeting and negotiating,” Saimond said.
Some recent GO! events include:
• “Memphis” touring musical
• Hibachi dinner
• Ski trip
• Bowling
• Mystic Aquarium
• “The Book of Mormon"
• New York City trip
• Roger Williams Park and Zoo
January 1, 2014