On Wednesday, April 19 Indiana University turned 203 years old. To commemorate the momentous occasion, Indiana University (IU) Northwest held IU Day, a fun-packed day celebrating all things IU. Students, staff, faculty, and even some proud alumni came together to get into the school spirit and make some unforgettable memories.
IU Northwest’s IU Day celebration is always filled with plenty of fun activities and this year was no exception. The Office of the Chancellor and the Office of Student Activities offered complimentary pizza, cookies, and delicious caramel apples. A Stuff-a-Plush station was set up so people could stuff their own stuff IU Day animals.
There was also a spirit station where everyone got to spin a wheel to try to win some free IU Northwest merch.
The most popular event by far was the car smash. A car was set out in the Moraine Quad so students and faculty could take a sledgehammer and let out some of their end-of-the-school-year stress. Even Rufus the Redhawk came out to take a few swings!
The day was ultimately a great opportunity for everyone to come together and have some much-needed fun.
“Community” was definitely the big word of the day.
“It’s just such an amazing time. Most of the time we’re all in our own little worlds, but IU Day is a chance for everybody to come out and talk to each other and get to know one another more. It brings out the best in everyone,” said IU Northwest’s geology professor Erin Argyilan.
For sophomore nursing student Heba Abuzer, the day helped break up the monotony and stress of the end of the semester and gave her the chance to connect with others. She spent the day jumping from event to event with her friends and left with her hands full of all kinds of goodies.
“Everything about this is just so fun. Getting to spend some time with my friends and getting to connect with people I don’t usually get to see is really special. I’m excited to see what next year’s IU Day will be like,” said Abuzer.
Along with building community, IU Northwest’s IU Day celebration was heavily focused on making a difference. At each activity, people were encouraged to make donations to IU Northwest’s student scholarship fund.
“The spirit of giving back is such a big part of IU Day. Encouraging our campus community to continue its sustainability efforts and its philanthropy efforts is a strong component of this and each year we hope to raise a lot of extra money for our student scholarship fund that goes back to our students in need,” said Aaron Pigors, interim director of marketing and communications.
Another big way IU Northwest helped spread the message of making a difference was through its Plant-a-Tree event. Countless trees were planted on Tamarack Green to help create a naturalized woodland. Argyilan led the event and was extremely happy to have two sororities and many students on campus participate in the tree planting.
“It gives them ownership of the campus. They’ll get to come and watch these trees grow over the years and there’s nothing better than actually getting to see the impact you have on your campus. It also helps them connect with the community--many people think of IU Northwest as just an urban campus, but this shows how committed we are to preventing climate change and making the world a better place,” said Argyilan.
It’s needless to say that this year’s IU Day at IU Northwest was a huge success. Everyone involved can’t wait to start planning next year’s event and find even more ways to celebrate IU.
“There’s so much good energy here today. After the pandemic and things being so quiet around here, it’s nice to see the campus thrive like this. I can’t wait to keep finding more ways for everyone to have fun and provide more activities to get people to come out,” said Pigors.
To learn more about Indiana University Northwest, visit https://www.iun.edu/.
