JOHN GALLAGHER
STAFF WRITER
Franciscan University’s student-run organization which, according to its website, sponsors events “that complement the strong intellectual and spiritual life of our campus” is aptly named Exc!te, after the student reaction it intends to evoke.
Melissa Siegler, Exc!te president, spoke about the quantity and quality of events promoted throughout the year by the group.
“We do a lot of annual events,” said Siegler. “They’re always really fun! We always have unique events going on, and we try to make sure that we’re offering students new, fun things to do.”
Among its many sponsored events over this academic year, Exc!te has hosted or will host the Fiesta d’ Italia, the talent show over homecoming weekend, a Christmas party, a winter hot chocolate and doughnuts event, Pajamarama, Irish Fest and Spring Fling before Spring Formal concludes the year.
When it comes to the planning and execution of events, Exc!te is often joined by other groups on campus.
Siegler said, “If we need help, we’ll have households get involved, or we’ll have missions help us out.”
For Exc!te’s most recent event, the Pajamarama, the Ecuador Mission team aided Exc!te in the logistics process.
Similarly, if any club or organization on campus needs assistance in coordinating an occasion, it need look no further than Exc!te.
“We helped out the department of evangelization with the Light the Night event this year; it was during the first week of classes,” said Siegler.
Siegler said the impact of Exc!te is twofold, namely, the establishment and bonding of local community. Relationships that can last a lifetime are often facilitated by the frequency of communal events, said Siegler.
“It’s a good way for students to get involved and to meet one another in a fun way,” she said. “People can meet and relate to each other, as a community. Growth as a community is a big part of our faith lives. It can really help the sense of self.”
Siegler said, “I think even though we live on such a small campus, a lot of people don’t get to socialize with everyone the way we should. Events give us a really good basis for meeting new people and just getting involved with things at school.”
Exc!te aims to encourage on-campus enjoyment, said Siegler.
“You don’t have to go off-campus to have a good time,” she said. “That’s really important, especially for underclassmen who can’t necessarily make it off campus. It’s just a lot of fun as a community.”
In the diversification of events, Exc!te aims yearly to create a fun, exclusive calendar of community-building events.
Siegler spoke about the importance of a unique annual schedule, saying, “Events change every year; we try new things. We try to make everything new and different so students don’t see the same events all the time.”
Exc!te’s webpage expresses as its concise title something students know to be true, that is, “College isn’t all studying.”
Exc!te, in its tireless efforts to host fun, community-building affairs, aims to keep it that way.