By The Keystone Newspaper Faculty and staff enjoyed a festive afternoon filled with delicious food, friendly competitions, and opportunities to support student scholarships at the annual event.
By Katelynn Humbles
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ highly anticipated “Nacho” Picnic took place this year on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at Alumni Plaza. An energetic group of faculty and staff took part in what can only be described as a raucous gathering of community spirit, great food and friendly competition.
Photo Credit: Maddie Anthes
The main course of the picnic was the loaded nacho station that offered a host of delectable options. These included Hawaiian nachos made of yellow corn tortilla chips topped with pulled chicken, sweet barbecue sauce, queso, pineapple salsa, jalapeños, avocado crema, and fresh cilantro. For those who like a bit more filling, there were barbecue pork nachos filled with pulled pork, cheddar cheese sauce, sweet barbecue sauce, creamy coleslaw, and pickles. There was also a vegan option, the holy guacamole, with tri-color tortilla chips served with Spanish rice, refried beans, shredded lettuce, fresh pico, guacamole, and chipotle sour cream. The picnic was boisterous with the faculty conversing with one another amidst laughter and food.
Photo Credit: Maddie Anthes
The fun began at 3:30 p.m. with an energetic corn hole tournament. Teams signed up with vigor, ready to show their skills in this ever-popular lawn game, competing for prizes and bragging rights for the most creative team name. The friendly competition truly made it a great networking opportunity, especially for newer members within the faculty and staff.
The afternoon’s hilarity was followed at 4 p.m. by the second annual departmental duck race. The rules of this light-hearted competition were that rubber ducks were required to make their way down a course. The Department of Physical Sciences successfully defended their title against the winner from last year. Their well-laid strategy and enthusiastic support kept them ahead in the race. The outstanding winner of the race was Rachel Seifrit, the Academic Department Secretary for Anthropology/ Sociology.
Photo Credit: Maddie Anthes
Later on in the day, attendees participated in raffles with numerous prizes available, such as CLAS merchandise, gift cards, and other items. The raffle funds went to the CLAS Scholarship Fund to help students in need take the classes they require. This scholarship originally began in order to help the students who were suffering from economic problems because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The donations of the donors have enabled students to pursue their education and excel in their fields.
Photo Credit: Maddie Anthes
The event concluded with faculty and staff leaving Alumni Plaza with full spirits having enjoyed good food, entertainment, and with the knowledge that their attendance was helping a noble cause.
The 2024 “Nacho” Picnic was a testament to the commitment of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences toward building community through its faculty and staff. It was a very successful event, with an array of food, competitions, and networking opportunities available for scholarship support. Participants expressed their appreciation for the time to reconnect and grow closer together. They say this is what defines the CLAS community: collaboration and support.