Who doesn’t like free stuff? The staff of the Patricia A. Doyle Center for Gender and Sexuality realized that and provided a number of free items on Jan. 25. All students were welcomed to free supplies such as hand sanitizer, chocolate, pens, gum, granola bars as well as free crackers and choice of lemonade or tea. The event was intended to go from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. but the table ran out of supplies after being open for 15 minutes.

“I know it can be stressful and hard for students to transition back to school, and I wanted to provide a program that all students could take advantage of,” Doyle Center for Gender and Sexuality Coordinator Emily Stier said.

Developing successful programs that engages students is not an easy task. When deciding what programs will attract a diverse audience, the staff at the Doyle Center approaches other departments and organizations to help figure out what students want out of university programs.  Specifically, for the Doyle Center, Stier and the rest of the staff enjoy tailoring events around specific holidays and relating them to gender and sexuality to help build awareness about these topics.

Stier said approximately 60 students were able to reap the benefits that were made available. This was the first time the Doyle Center held this event. Students who didn’t get the opportunity to make their own survival kit will have another chance sometime during the middle of the semester.

“I thought that it was a fun activity. I got plenty of useful stuff, which was great. I would certainly go again,” freshman mechanical engineering major Troy Wilson said.

The Doyle Center’s next event will be held on Monday, Feb. 6, and will celebrate natural beauty. “No Makeup Monday” will be an excellent opportunity to support one another at the Markee Pioneer Student Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.