The First Friday Festival, where student organizations pitch themselves to the campus, will look different than previous years now that the event moved from the Campus Center to the Clements Recreation Center.
Some students took issue with the change in location.
“It’s kind of a trek and not as accessible to the rest of campus as I would like it to be," said Michael Odoi, a junior biochemistry major and president of Men of Vision.
Skye Hamilton, a sophomore secretary of Student Government majoring in English and criminology, said she is worried commuters will decide they don’t want to go due to the festival being moved away from its original location.
There is about 1,085 feet between the Clements Recreation Center and the Campus Center. The Empire State Building, excluding the antenna, is 1,250 feet.
The old home of the First Friday Festival is undergoing renovations that are projected to be completed in January 2025, according to a campus wide email from Bill Fox, vice president of Student Affairs.
Portions of the first level of the Campus Center have been blocked from student access, reducing the space on the first floor and prompting the move from Campus Center to the Clements Recreation Center.
Other students identified some advantages to holding the First Friday Festival in the Clements Recreations Center.
“We are excited that the Center of Student Engagement (CSE) will be able to have more tables in that area...so we are able to target individual programs a little easier," said Tess Gallaspie, a junior worker for the CSE and leader of Plant-it Earth majoring in zoo and conservation science.
The CSE workers wrote instructions in front of the library in chalk informing students about the different location, time of event and participating organizations.
The First Friday Festival will go from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30.
