On Tuesday Nov. 19 Union University’s ResLife hosted Deck the Commons, an event hosted yearly to bring Union residents together to decorate the common buildings for the holiday season.
The event began at 8:15 p.m., with the resident advisors (RAs) of Heritage decorating the McAfee Commons and the Quads resident advisors decorating the Bowld Student Commons. Students were encouraged by ResLife to join the staff in decorating. The ResLife team brought out the Christmas decorations they have used in previous years, including Christmas trees, garlands, string lights, wreaths and various ornaments.
“I just love seeing the community come together. RAs are required to be here, so if no one shows out then we’re going to do it, but it’s always really encouraging to see students come out and volunteer to help deck the Mac,” Marisa Infield, residence director for the Heritage Complex, said.
According to Infield, first-year students typically have the highest attendance at the event.
“I feel like the week before Thanksgiving break is pretty stressful for students, so because of that we tend to get a little bit less turnout,” Infield said.
Though it may be unknown what the turnout will be for each year, Infield looked forward to meeting with ResLife and Union students to adorn the building.
“I think there’s something about a shared experience of people working together that brings people together in a unique way that might not be in the same organizations or groups,” Infield said. “There is just a lot of teamwork to make things happen.”
Emma Sanborn, a senior conservation biology major and RA of Grace 2, feels that coming together to adorn the commons is a way for her to get excited before Christmas.
“It’s a way for us to celebrate together because we all go our separate ways during break,” Sanborn said. “We only have a couple of weeks in December while we’re here together, but decorating early lets us have that time of feeling like it’s Christmas season a little bit.”
Sanborn believes this event can also serve as a stress reliever for students.
“These last few weeks are going to be the most stressful weeks in everybody’s semester, and I think it helps lighten everyone’s spirits and let us look forward to the break,” Sanborn said.
Many of the ResLife team agree that sharing these warming experiences with students helps build and strengthen community.
“I think there is value in coming together as a community and doing work together. Whether that’s serving out in the greater Jackson community or serving on campus, there is a lot of value in shared experiences,” Infield said.
