Students and resident assistants (RAs) gathered together on Sept. 17 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the Spring River Room of the Student Union for a North Park Quads (NPQ) bag-making event.

The NPQ housing team hosted the event and students were able to attend for free and NPQ also covered the cost of the complimentary hats, bags, stickers, and patches for attendees to use. With an estimated 15-20 students in attendance, the event spurred students to attend football games and to help other students with a problem one of the event organizers experienced: The clear bag policy. 

Adaeze Sharon Ibe, a junior nursing major from Johannesburg, South Africa, said she had trouble going to a football game when the university’s clear bag policy denied her entry. To help other uninformed students, she decided to host an event to give students a way to enter the stadium without an issue.

“I just came up with the idea of this event so no other student would be able to enter without getting checked at the gate,” Ibe said.

Attendees customized their complimentary clear handbags and hats with sport and varsity-themed stickers and iron-on patches. Students picked from a variety of stickers to apply to a clear handheld bag of their choice. Event hosts also used a heat press to iron patches onto hats.  

Clear bags let students carry what they need through security, and hats offer some protection from the summer heat. ​

“We’re looking forward to students having the things they would want to go inside of an area with,” said Ahnyia Williamson, a residence education coordinator from Nashville, Arkansas, an event participant. 

The event’s main goals were not just to prepare students for game days, but to make sure they do it in style. Fashion was not the only reason to organize an event like this though as organizers believed it would be a good chance for students from different buildings to mingle in a shared space.

“When it comes to the housing community, we all feel like we could have more chances to get to know one another,” Ibe said.

The event brought students together, while also providing them with stylized equipment for events at Centennial Bank Stadium.

Regarding the event, Ibe said the hardest thing they had to do was decide “The hardest thing had to be deciding which patches and designs we had to buy,” Ibe said.

With the event concluded, Ibe said she plans to continue the event and expand in the future with even more bags, hats, shirts, and patches.

“I think we would like to do this again next year if we can,” Ibe said.

Organizers said they hope to welcome even more students from across different housing communities, encouraging them to connect, meet their resident assistants, and step out in style for game day.

Categories: News