What better way to connect with college students than to pass out free candy? And what better time to do that than Halloween?
Newman University Staff Assembly wanted to bring some normalcy to students’ lives during their 2020 fall semester by celebrating the age-old holiday of Halloween. The annual Trunk or Treat event was canceled this year and Staff Assembly saw that as an opportunity to interact with students themselves.
“We were talking about trying to find a way for staff to connect with students with all the COVID stuff and we felt like this was a good way to bring some joy to them and to us,” said Staff Assembly Secretary Emily Jones.
College students have had to do a lot of adjusting in 2020, along with the rest of the world, and Staff Assembly wanted to make sure that Newman University students kickstarted the holiday season the right way.
The plan to pass out candy bags was presented by Jones.
Halloween is her favorite holiday and she was more than happy to take the lead on the project.
Executive committee members sent an email to all staff and faculty asking for candy donations to make this idea a reality. Approximately 25 bags of candy were donated by Newman community members. The donations are a reflection of the staff and faculty’s dedication to students and their Newman experience.
The well-thought-out initiative had something for everyone. Jones said, “I have friends that don’t like chocolate and friends that don’t like peanuts. So there are candy bags with everything, bags that don’t have nuts and bags that don’t have nuts or chocolate.”
She created fun tags for each so students with any allergies or dislikes were able to grab a bag full of things they can eat.
Staff Assembly members donned their masks and gloves to package all of the candy then set up shop in Eck Hall’s foyer, a busy hub on school days, to hand out bags of candy to any students passing by.
