Senior Class Council
Senior Class Council (SCC) started the year with the Senior Class Cubs Outing, which drew in more than 100 seniors at the Four Winds Field, and a Family Feud Night at Legends — an event that included beer specials, food and a Legends gift card for the winning team. In October, SCC hosted the Senior, Cider and S’mores event in LaFortune Ballroom where seniors pre-ordered Class of 2018 blankets. They also planned a Bowl Olympics in November and included a bus to shuttle seniors to the class outing at Chippewa Bowl where they could bowl with friends. As a holiday-themed event to wrap up the semester, SCC is hosting an ornament and blanket sale in the LaFortune Student Center.
“It’s been a great opportunity to meet people within the senior class that I haven’t yet met within my previous three years,” Rebecca Wiley, SCC member, said. “I think seniors have been very receptive to the events thus far because everyone’s realized that this is the last hurrah and everyone’s trying to make the most of the time they have left.”
This upcoming semester, SCC has a full-day ski-trip planned to Timber Ridge Ski Resort in Michigan on Jan. 27. As part of the package, transportation will be provided to get there and back and ski lifts are included for a set price. SCC is also hosting the 100 Days Dance on Feb. 3 in Duncan Ballroom, which will mark 100 days until graduation and will be a formal event with food and a cash bar.
“I think we provide a good way for students to come together as a class, especially off-campus seniors who don’t spend a lot of time on-campus automatically, we provide opportunities to come together or do activities together,” SCC communications commissioner, Emily Gust, said.
Junior Class Council
Junior Class Council (JCC) started off the semester with smaller events like giveaways, but as the semester progressed, moved into high-level programming and inaugural events. During the week just before midterms, JCC hosted an Oktoberfest complete with root beer, hot pretzels and grilled bratwursts in front of South Dining Hall. After students came back from fall break, JCC hosted a letter writing event for their classmates abroad.
“We like to intersperse our big events with giveaways so we can stay on people’s radars,” Dan Hopkinson, JCC vice president, said.
In November, JCC hosted a chocolate-covered strawberry giveaway in LaFortune and arranged for a food truck and a hot-chocolate bar at Fieldhouse Mall. Their last programming event, a collaboration event with other class councils called “We’re Rooting for You,” involved root beer floats and motivational notes for students before finals week.
“I think this is important because a lot of student government is focused on changing policy and a lot of abstract ideas,” Hopkinson said. “But class council is bringing ideas into action with events that people can go to.”
For the upcoming semester, JCC will host more giveaways as well as bigger events in the new Duncan Student Center. They will reserve rooms in the center for a Junior Class Trivia Night during one Friday in Lent, where they will serve meatless food such as macaroni and cheese, mozzarella sticks and cheese pizza. JCC will also be hosting a March Madness championship game watch in the student center.
Sophomore Class Council
Sophomore Class Council (SCC) started off the year with a Sophomore Class Cookout, the only exclusively sophomore event they hosted, in mid-September. Right before fall break, they held an event called “Midterm Munchies” which was a coffee and donut giveaway, with donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts.
After fall break, SCC started to gain momentum, hosting a haunted house in the LaFortune Ballroom the Thursday before Halloween, for which they rented curtains and room dividers and bought decorations to create a Halloween feel. They also organized “Thanks a Latte,” an event that gave students the opportunity to show their gratitude for people in their lives. Members of SCC were in North Dining Hall selling cups with notes and a Starbucks gift card for $5 the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Students could buy the cups with Domer Dollars and write notes to their friends, and members of SCC delivered these gift cards to the recipients. SCC also planned a Christmas event in Sorin Room in LaFortune complete with a photo booth, cookie decorating and letter writing to the retired brothers of Holy Cross.
The Gatsby Dance, SCC’s largest event which typically takes place in August or September, is on Feb. 24 this year since SCC wanted to host it in the new Dahnke Ballroom.
“Class councils in general have a very important role,” Joe Witt, president of SCC, said. “It’s one aspect of the Notre Dame community that is overlooked. You learn that the Notre Dame community is significant, but we absolutely make progress in the familial and communal aspects of the class.”
Freshman Class Council
Elections for Freshman Class Council (FCC) were held in September, with officers officially elected in October. Since then, FCC has already started planning events, such as a bonfire at Holy Cross Road. They also hosted a freshman class Christmas dance in Dahnke Ballroom, which had a turnout of around 200 people. For the last day of classes before finals, they are holding a prayer service at the Grotto.
Some ideas that have been proposed for next semester are a freshman class spikeball tournament, a dance in mid-March preceding St. Patrick’s day and an Easter egg decorating event. FCC is also planning a trivia night in the LaFortune Ballroom.
“One of the best perks about it is because within just the first couple of weeks you know one person from every dorm,” Sam Cannova, FCC president, said. “I found an opportunity to really find connection with the people of Notre Dame. I feel like Notre Dame has a great name and great reputation but with class council I found an opportunity to connect with people.”
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