Friday night on the Great Lawn, Carly Rae Jepson's "Call Me Maybe" played and groups of students stood in clusters on the grass. First-years, orientation leaders and other students all mingled together and checked out the different stations made available to them.
The event, titled, "The Hitchhikers' Guide to Student Events," was designed to showcase all that the club, which sponsors programming throughout the year, has to offer. Student Events Executive Director, Rachel Nelson '13, explained to JustArts, "We just want them to know right off the bat [what] we do."

At one table, there were Dunkin' Donuts munchkins and drinks set up. The table one over had carnival-style popcorn, already popped and bagged. Across the lawn, a table was set up to promote Thirsty Thursdays, an event in The Stein that serves beer and wine to upperclassmen, but also has plenty of food for other students. Student Events members dished out Stein classics, like onion rings and fries, and promoted this semester's Thirsty Thursdays, set for Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 15.  

There were also two Twister mats laid out in the center of the lawn. Though mainly orientation leaders were playing at first, other students joined in as the night progressed. Student Events also parked their beloved Munchie Mobile, this time in the form of a mid-size SUV with the trunk popped open, at the event and enthusiastically explained to first-years that they drive around to each quad bringing late night snacks, like pizza, chips, drinks and candy.  

Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, was also in attendance Friday night. In an interview with the Justice, he stated his support for Student Events: "This driving force of students being at the center of event planning itself breeds an amazing sense of spirit and these events really embody that," he said. "So, attending [their programming] is important but even their existence itself is so different than what other schools have during their welcome weeks, which are largely staged by administrators. Instead, what we have is really an expression of what we love most about Brandeis, selected, executed and designed by our students."
This night was just the beginning for Student Events, who have many more exciting events planned for the year. Says Nelson, "I'm looking forward to the [fall] concert on Sept. 29 ... and for Louis Louis, our spirit week, in November because we have a lot of exciting and new things for that as well."

Besides the organized activities, attendees also made their own fun. Groups of orientation leaders and first-years broke off into smaller groups and socialized on their own. Others circled up and started playing Mafia, an ice-breaker game where someone plays the murderer and the group tries to solve the mystery of who it is. When asked about the event, Tommy Clifton '16 said, "It's awesome. I had fun bonding more with my orientation leader and friends."
Hitchhiker's Guide to Student Events was a great night for everyone involved, but the event really was another part of orientation designed to welcome the incoming class to Brandeis. "I hope that the first-years learn that Student Events is awesome and that we are always there to brighten your day," Nelson said. "We're there as a club to make the overall campus experience more bright, especially when you're tired walking to class early in the morning, but then you see donuts and your day is made."