Another year, another Big Event. The Big Event is a student-run day of community service that has grown into the largest event of its kind in the nation (from its website). It’s also the day when the University schedules its incoming freshman orientation.
Coincidence?
I think not.
Last year, I heard a father ask a guide, “what’s going on over there?” Clearly, it works just as intended. It’s also the reason why they probably don’t have a make-up day because the freshman and their parents are coming regardless of the weather. Last year it was snowing in the morning of, this year it was no less mercurial. It was down-pouring. I almost considered not going because of how hard it was raining, however, I felt like I had a moral obligation to go. Plus, I had been looking forward to it since last year. Luckily, by the time I left, it had slowed to a drizzle and eventually stopped. The sun even came out and it remained a sunny day.
Like last year, I signed up as an individual. Nobody I knew wanted to participate in it with me. I don’t know what it is with graduate students, but I guess they don’t like volunteering. I would argue that 99% of the students who participate in the event are undergraduates. Based on my random group of six last year, where I was the only graduate student, and my group of seven this year, where again, I was the only graduate student. Also, it’s pretty easy to tell who is an undergraduate/freshman and the field was full of them; my group this year was all freshmen. Maybe having freshman orientation on the same day does work.
When we arrived at the house, we were told by the homeowner what she would like for us to accomplish. It consisted of weeding, raking, trimming and moving ornamental grass that was in the front of the house to the side of the driveway. Some within the group jumped on weeding right away, emphatically exclaiming, “I love weeding.” I volunteered to move the ornamental grass. This involved digging it up from the roots, carrying or putting it into a wheelbarrow to the side of the driveway where two other team members dug the holes and replanted them. This took me almost the entirety of the time we were there. Other than the pathway leading to the front door, the front lawn formed a pretty steep hill. Digging out the grass involved me almost sliding down it on numerous occasions. The previous days and morning rain did not help. We started at 11:44 am and ended around 1:55 pm. In two hours, the seven of us did what would have probably taken her and her husband a couple of weekends. She was extremely grateful and even bought lunch for us.
Like last year, it was another great experience.