HawkTalk
Carrie Holt On campus Wagner for Dummies

Get With the Program!

Humans vs Zombies is always a favorite event originated by a student!
Humans vs Zombies is always a favorite event originated by a student!

A great thing about attending a small college, especially Wagner, is that it is really easy to put on your own event or program. Some of you might be thinking, "Why would I want to do that?" SO MANY REASONS. Have you ever wanted to raise money or awareness for an organization or cause that you feel super strong about? Have you ever wanted to host a concert or have your favorite speaker come to campus? Seriously, if you want to have a giant Twister competition on campus, YOU CAN DO IT. If you're currently thinking of all the awesome events you want to put on but don't know where to start, don't worry. I am going to walk you through it: Programming 101. I am even going to use my awesome campus-wide twister competition as an example.

All you need to start out with is an idea. What is your vision for this event? Is it low key or large scale? What will it include? Music? Food? Once you have a general idea, it's time to flesh out the details. When do you want the event? Pick an actual date and time (be sure to check the campus events calendar so you can have optimum attendance). Do you have a particular space in mind? Come up with an awesome title that's catchy and makes people interested. My event is called " Twist and Shout to End Bullying." Using my example, I imagine the gym floor covered in twister mats with people wearing matching shirts as the referees for each game. This will also be a fundraiser where each team of two people pays five dollars, and half of the money goes to the winner and half goes to a charity related to advocacy for bullying in schools. People are more likely to participate if there is something in it for them.

An event about Immigration Reform
An event about Immigration Reform

Once you solidify the details, you need to find an organization to help you out. In order to reserve space or get funding, you need to be a part of an organization. Maybe it's a club you're already in, or talk to WagnerCares if it's a fundraiser for charity, or talk to your RA to get help from ResEd, or there's always CCP. In my example, I will use support from ResEd and talk to CCP about making this an event for Greek Life to participate in.

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Breast Cancer Carnival

Now you need help from actual people. My big piece of advice is don't try to do this alone. Go to your friends, classmates, organizations you're in and put together a group of people to help you out. The number obviously depends on the size of the event. Once you have your group, delegate. Give people individual tasks to do, whether it's to gather supplies, reserve the space or create advertisements. Make a giant list of everything that has to get done and make sure someone is accountable for each task. Also, make sure you have people assigned to tasks that need to be achieved before, during and after the event. I am going to need a DJ (I am going to use WCBG because they are FREE) and people to act as referees and to man a registration table.

Once you have everything planned and have all your supplies and people ready to go, it's time to have your event! Don't freak out; you've planned everything and you will deal with the hiccups as they happen. GET STOKED to have the event you've always wanted  at Wagner. Planning an event will be an experience that will help you immensely after graduation. We are so lucky to have this opportunity at Wagner, so take advantage of it! Happy programming!

a book drive for soldiers
A book drive for soldiers