Last week was Homecoming week for Bellevue College and it was packed with various events every day around campus Katherine Hall, director of marketing at the college, said that “Homecoming is about building community and celebrating Bellevue College spirit. It’s also about letting students know what resources are available to them across campus and in the community.”
The Homecoming committee consisted of several representatives across campus. These included Student Programs, Student Services, the Office of Sustainability, Health and Wellness and the Disability Resource Center. Monday, Oct. 9 was Heritage Day and the kick-off of Homecoming Week. It was the first day of events and it was topped off by a student club Showcase in the cafeteria that featured over 20 different clubs of interest.
Hall stated that clubs offer an opportunity for personal learning and cultural experiences, which was reciprocated by the students advocating for clubs as well.
“You get to meet and experience different cultures and learn a lot,” one student said, echoing the same sentiment. Another added that “a lot of students are bored during the day and this can be a way for students to come together.”
A third even mentioned that “students can come to be a part of something bigger,” while including that specific club experiences can work as stress relief or even be put on a resume.
Tuesday, the “BC Cares” day, was headlined by a food drive where students could deposit non-perishables to be held in the Bellevue College Bulldog Food Pantry, a place where any students can drop by and take whatever they felt like they needed.
Held outside room C212, the college brought in over 1,000 food items that day in a contest to see which department would bring in the most.
The Arts and Humanities department won the competition, bringing in 188 food items. Also on Tuesday, Bellevue College hosted a Make-A-Wish desk that allowed students to write wish cards as general feedback for the college, which is then shared with BC Leadership.
Hall said that “BC Make-A-Wish allows our community a fun, easy way to provide anonymous feedback that can be shared with leadership.”
Wednesday, a day designated to making Bellevue College students feel welcome, was also National Coming Out Day for LGBTQ people across the country. BC also hosted a Laughter Yoga Session with a certified laughter yoga teacher Julie Plaut Warwick.
The primary belief behind laughter yoga is that voluntary laughter has the same health benefits that regular laughter does, and as a result the event was a combination of laughter exercises and meditation.
A study by Oxford University showed that voluntary laughter helps increase pain thresholds as well as releasing an endorphin that helps play a crucial role in social bonding. Other health benefits include increased blood and oxygen flow in the body as well as a reduction in depression and anxiety.
Thursday, a day designated to sustainability as well as universal health and wellness, was a headline day for the sustainability program at Bellevue College.
The Office of Sustainability at BC, directed by Amber Nicholson, helped work with Bike Works to further their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the community.
Bike Works is a local nonprofit focused on bicycle and youth education, and Bellevue College brought in what they call the Bike Mobile that made bike repairs and purchases accessible on campus as part of the alternative transportation offerings. Nicholson said, “it’s a great partnership and a way to show our community that it’s easy to leave the car behind and get around by bike, if you have the right tools and resources.”
In the past, Bellevue College has also brought in Bike Works to hold workshops such as Bicycle Commuting 101.
According to Nicholson, “Bellevue College’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is single occupancy vehicle travel, so it’s a part of our efforts to reduce our emissions and encourage different transportation methods.” This was not the only sustainability centered event, however.
There was also a produce stand hosted on campus that held healthy, local, fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. The produce available came mostly from local company Charlie’s Produce, while some of it actually came from the Bellevue College Student Garden.
Friday was BC Spirit Day and as were encouraged to wear blue clothes to show their Bulldog Pride. To help celebrate the ending of the week, the first 100 students to show up