by Carina Hennessy, Contributing Writer
Wow, what a crazy first week, right? College is a busy, fun, and stressful time, and the start of the school year is no exception.
Freshman want to socialize and get involved, while upperclassman want to unwind before classes speed up. Everyone is looking forward to making memories by participating in activities you can only find on a college campus.
You probably have a lot of expectations about what you’ll be doing this year, and luckily the folks at the SAIL (Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership) office have planned some events for us on campus that are really worthwhile!
This week the SAIL Office has organized a few different events for the school’s Week of Welcome festivities. There will be Laser Tag on September 15 from 4 to 9 p.m. in the Woodland Commons and Bubble Soccer on September 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. on the Amphitheater Field.
Honestly, when is the next chance you’ll get to play soccer while inside a giant plastic hamster ball? This is exactly the kind of ridiculous, fun opportunity you came to college for! Well, aside from your education, of course.
Additionally, later this month there will be an Oozeball tournament on Saturday, September 24. This event will feature a mud volleyball tourney set up next to the wind turbine in the Cedar Dell Field Oozeball Pits.
The signup fee for the event is $60, and teams are composed of three men and three women. Check-in for teams begins at 10:30 a.m. and the first game starts at 11 a.m.
Anyone can watch the muddy drama unfold, but it’s not be too late to sign yourself or your team up through the SAIL office! It’s a day of T-shirts, prizes, trophies, and lots of mud.
SAIL works behind the scenes to bring us events to campus. This past week we’ve seen the Back2Life Party in the amphitheater, the Corsair Tailgate out in Lot 7, and even the 300 Chairs event, where people fought to become victor in a massive game of musical chairs.
Throughout the rest of the semester, SAIL continues to host different events as well, including alcohol tasting nights in the UBar (only for those 21 and older!), trips to different events around the school, and even the occasional guest speaker.
As for the SAIL office itself, it’s a valuable resource beyond just bringing us fun things to do. That’s what the “I” and “L” stand for in their name: “Involvement” and “Leadership.”
They are instrumental in bringing us off-campus events, orientations, and student-run clubs and organizations. They even approve the many posters you see around the school!
If you would like to learn more, contact the office, or keep up with future events, you can find them on the UMass Dartmouth website and Twitter. They can be reached by emailing or by phone at (508) 999-8127.
If you’d like to pay them a visit in person, you can find the SAIL office on the second floor of Campus Center in room 215, right above the Commuter Cafe. Their office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Lastly, keep an eye out for posters around campus. You never know what meeting or event will catch your eye, and there’s always something going on. When in doubt, ask and look around!