New Student Carnival: Lame event or friend building experience?

Let me start off by emphasizing one point--the epitome of a Drexel planned event was the new student carnival in the quad. The carnival was basically an extension of an ice-breaker; a way to meet new people. The concept of an ice-breaker event is not an old one. Similar events have been done for various groups of people where the majority of attendees have never met before. From awkward games to great hall dinners, this kind of social encouragement is a staple of American society--from college events to business conferences.
At first glance, what was dubbed a carnival was basically a lame avenue to obtain free food. Most of the attractions weren't really exciting at all; a moon bounce that was under-inflated, an inflatable rock wall that tipped over, and paintable frisbees to name a few. The main consensus of most attendees can easily be summed up by the word "lame". I too at the time thought the new student carnival was not very special, but now that I look back on my first week here at Drexel, I realize it was actually quite crucial. Events like the new student carnival served as a conversation piece--even if you didn't enjoy the event it was always something to talk about. I made many friends that I either met at or after the carnival or by talking to them about it. Showing off the (mostly ugly) frisbees and talking about the food and semi-terrible inflatables gave students a way to relax and all share a common, although unpleasant, opinion. Even the advertisement booth for Fuze fruit drinks was a good conversation piece. Many students (including myself) now carry Fuze branded lanyards and often remark to each other "hey, I have that same lanyard!" The theme of slightly awkward social interaction gave everyone a way to relax and have fun. All in all, the immediate experience of the new student carnival was not very exhilarating, but the long term effects of social bonding will be felt by all of the class of 2012/13.



Oh, and next time there should be cotton candy.