The weekly KSC tradition of Crafternoon has started again for this academic year.
The Office of Student Diversity, Belonging, and Equity (OSDBE) held Crafternoon Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Cultural Center. Students were able to drop by and create their own friendship bracelets. Crafternoon is a weekly event held at the Cultural Center where students are able to make various arts and crafts.
“Crafternoon has historically been an event run by the Cultural Center,” said Ian Kaplan, the coordinator for LGBTQ+ student support at the Cultural Center and OSDBE. “We offer it as an opportunity for students to connect with one another and to relax and build community.”
The OSDBE has also added more weekly events to their calendars.
“This year we’ve chosen to include Crafternoon and then also add some other activities to our weekly programming,” continued Kaplan. “Such as Movement Monday and Watercolor Wednesday.”
This event was different from other years’ Crafternoons for another reason.
“This Crafternoon was co-sponsored by the Office for Student Involvement,” said Kaplan. “Emily Alexander, who works in the Student Involvement office, offered to run a friendship bracelet DIY tutorial day, and she was amazing and brought all of the supplies and materials.”
Alexander commented on how this partnership complemented her role in the Student Involvement Office.
“Crafts are a fun part of wellness and taking this nice little break supports mental wellbeing and opportunities for social engagement,” said Alexander, the senior coordinator of student involvement and well-being. “So it definitely goes along with my role on campus.”
“This is my first [Crafternoon], so it’s really exciting to be partnered with them for the first time,” continued Alexander. “I know I’ll be back partnering in the spring for sure, but I definitely might pop in to do the activities in general because it’s really fun.”
The students participating in making friendship bracelets said they found the activity fun and relaxing.
“I like the environment, it’s very homey here,” said first-year Eden Bernazzani. “I love doing stuff like this, it’s very calming for me, especially in between classes.”
“This is my first [Crafternoon], I’ve always had a class when these are going on,” said senior Kate McClellan. “It’s just cool to be around people doing stuff with their hands.”
A few members of the Cultural Center’s staff also took time to join the students in the crafts.
“I think all of us are in office on Thursdays, so we all make time to come in and hang,” said Nina Zienkiewicz, the student development program assistant at the Cultural Center. “I love seeing new faces in here … and knowing that students are using us as a resource since it’s not something that students know about immediately.”
“[Something] that I really love about it is that it’s just such a creative, free space,” said Daisy Gaikwad, the communication program assistant at the Cultural Center. “We really try to create a judgment-free zone in here and it doesn’t matter what the experience level is of the person, we just like having people come in.”
There was only a small group of students and staff who had gathered in the Cultural Center to make bracelets, but Kaplan said the small turnout of students and staff was normal for the activity.
“Crafternoons have usually been a small group of students and staff that come together,” said Kaplan. “The smaller group setup does allow for students to really connect and talk to each other over arts and crafts, which really is the goal.”
Kaplan stated that the craft activities are a fun way for students to connect with each other and build community.
“My favorite part of Crafternoons is connecting with students and offering space for folks to relax, build community, and have a good time while doing something with their hands,” continued Kaplan.
This year, Crafternoon will be held in the Cultural Center from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursdays.
Orion Corbin can be contacted at
ocorbin@kscequinox.com
