By Nicholas Zuniga
Approximately a dozen students joyfully painted together in The Rookery of the Otter Student Union (OSU) Aug. 29. Inside, you could find painting supplies, canvasses, as well as a Bob Ross landscape painting tutorial. Crafting with the Clubs was organized by the Inter Club Council (ICC) at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
The facilitator of this event and advisor to the ICC, Dan Burfiend, provided lots of information regarding the reasoning and implications of events like crafting nights.
“[ICC] also pays clubs… [clubs] get additional funding to [host craft nights] … for that we say ‘we’ll give $100 to your club for coming and running an hour and a half program.’ [ICC] will provide either the AV set up, which costs us about $100 or we will buy about $100 worth of crafts for you, whatever your club wants,” said Burfiend.
Students who attended this event had smiles on their faces and paint-covered brushes for hours.
There was a copious amount of chatter amongst and between table groups, with this sense of community and camaraderie being a virtue. “I really like [CSUMB], I like all of the events and how small it is, it feels like a community,” said Kynslic Wilkins, a first-year student.
Everyone at this event had a different reason for attending. “[I came to meet] new people because I’m new to the area, and I also love crafting,” said Makenna Mccrovey, a third-year transfer student majoring in Agricultural Plant and Soil Science.
Looking at future crafting nights, Burnfiend gave some additional information regarding the importance of these events. “This is our first full year of doing …‘with the club events.’ There’s a variety of reasons why [club events] came about. Sometimes clubs just need help starting [their] programming… they don’t know where to start, and they’ve never thought of ideas.”
Burnfiend also elaborated on how “[The Rookery] is where we do crafting and karaoke. Last year we did karaoke every other week, and we recognize that karaoke isn’t for everybody, right?” This is why crafting may be a better option for some students, according to Burnfiend.
Crafting or karaoke nights will be available in the OSU Rookery throughout the semester. Club officers can reach out to the ICC to take advantage of available resources.