From Monday, April 8 to Friday, April 12, the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) hosted its first LUCC Week of events. LUCC President junior Isabel Dorn said the week was designed as a chance for the student body and LUCC to connect in a more informal environment to foster greater connection between LUCC members and the rest of the student body.
“Often, I think, there’s this perception that LUCC is this very formal governing body that oversees a lot of important decisions here but isn’t always in touch with the rest of the student body,” Dorn claimed. “So, we want to foster those connections [by showing that] … while we serve in these leadership roles, we are truly here to help students and we want to be involved as much as possible.”
The week was also meant to attract potential members to LUCC, according to Dorn, citing turnover in leadership roles due to graduation as a reason for the initiative. As a result, the week was also meant to educate Lawrentians about the various roles and committees within student government they may not have been aware of. Coming out of the week, Dorn hoped that each student took an interest in at least one group or position they felt resonated with them, which she said is imperative towards her goal of making joining LUCC more accessible to the general student population.
“I truly believe there is a position for everyone,” Dorn said. “A lot of people may shy away from the idea from joining student government because they think it takes a specific type of person … [but] there is room at the table for so many diverse perspectives, and we want that to be reflected in our representative body. Just as Lawrence is a diverse community, we want our student government to be a diverse community as well.”
The first event took place on Monday, April 8, when LUCC members tabled inside of Warch Campus Center, due to the wind, with an educational spin-to-win opportunity. On Tuesday, April 9, LUCC provided coffee and tea, also inside of Warch Campus Center. Following suit, an open house and question forum were hosted in Warch Campus Center’s Nathan Marsh Pusey Room on Wednesday, April 10, with catering provided. On Thursday, April 11, the organization hosted a game night in the Diversity and Intercultural Center (D&IC). Finally, on Friday, April 12, the LUCC Block Party took place in the Quad, with outdoor games and live music provided by student musicians, including student band Larry’s Triangle and student musician senior Diego Léon.
For each event a Lawrentian attended, they received one entry into a drawing for a gift card to UniUni, a downtown Appleton bubble tea shop. Dorn’s goal in hosting this raffle was not only to attract more students, but also to encourage students to engage with Appleton-based businesses.
Dorn hopes that this year’s event series will become the first of many LUCC Weeks to come, and that future generations of LUCC members will use this framework for greater outreach and further connection.
“We are here to serve the student body, build connections, get feedback and be the people that students feel comfortable coming to,” she said.