Hamline’s Student Affairs had their state fair moment at the Student Affairs Carnival this previous Wednesday. Booths were aligned in front of the Anderson Center and all along Alumni Way. 

Like a true carnival, it would not have been complete without Career Development Center (CDC) employees dressed as clowns, the Dean of Students Patti Kersten making cotton candy and fair games among each organization’s booth.

Students were able to get their fill of cotton candy and caramel apple sundaes straight away. Kersten manned the stand, the perfect spot for her favorite part of the fair—seeing new and familiar faces. 

Even though first years Andrew Tutland and Emelia Araco had a bit of a run-in with bees in exchange for the delicious, fresh off-the-spinner pink cotton candy, that did not dim their excitement. 

Alongside the various sweets, there were a great handful of thrilling games. The Student Activities and Leadership Department’s (SALD) booth had a disk drop game where the numbered slot the disk landed in coordinated with how much Hamline merchandise one would get.

Students are now rocking #PiperBoogie2022 t-shirts while holding their SALD tote bags that are filled with Piper notebooks and clickable pens thanks to their large wins at the booth.   

The highlight of the fair seemed to be the trio of clowns, two of which were leading a knock-over-the-bottle game and the other creating balloon animals. Students were found holding onto colorfully shaped flowers and silly looking balloon dogs as they parted from the CDC booth. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever talked to a clown and learned more about writing a resume at the same [time] before,” sophomore attendee Cece Chmelik said. 

Despite all of the fun and prizes, the overall experience was meant to intrigue students and inform them about the various resources available on campus. To even play some games, students had to answer a question in relation to a specific organization. 

At the Disability Services table, before one could pull a duck, they would have to answer a question from the Director of Disability Resources Steve Anderson. The question not only helps students not only recall what they know about specific resources from their office, but provides a chance for them to learn. 

The carnival shows how one can have fun while learning about services on campus. Students left with sugary treats, a fidget toy or two and knowledge about how Student Affairs is here to help them.