Students packed inside the cafeteria to enjoy the Back-to-School Barbeque, which had to be moved indoors.
The annual Back-to-School Barbeque was held inside this year due to rain.
The event was surprisingly successful, despite the sudden change in location.
After a rain early in the morning, the decision was made to set up tables in the cafeteria, instead of the usual location outside next to the La-Z-Boy Center.
Tom Ryder, MCCC’s coordinator of Student Activities, said he was prepared for the turn of events, and that there was a contingency plan in place from the beginning.
While things were not ideal, Ryder said the event was going very well.
“I’m disappointed that it rained, but I’m happy with the inside turnout,” he said.
Some students actually preferred that it was inside this year, as they felt it wasn’t as hot and helped student awareness of the booths.
“I think being in an enclosed area where people could sit down lets them look at the stands,” said Maddie Cooley, a member of the MCCC Student Government.
People manning many of the booths found that students were more interested in visiting their setups this year, and some even said it threw them off.
Additionally, students were happy to not be out in the humid heat, and though the cafeteria itself was warm, they did not have to worry about rain.
While there was concern about students finding the event, those worries were put to rest once the event started.
During the last hour of the barbeque, a train of professors walked through with picket signs to call attention to their contract negotiations.
Faculty started semester without a contract
The details of the negotiations have been kept quiet, and many students didn’t know it was going on, leaving some confused.
“At first I got confused, but then I got irritated. This is a school event, and I thought it wasn’t appropriate,” one student said.
Other students agreed and believed that the teachers interrupted an event that has nothing to do with them.
Meanwhile, other students were supportive of the professors.
“Personally, I didn’t think it was real, I thought it was a joke, but I do agree with what they’re doing. They earned the right to do that,” student Derek Crawley said.
Ryder was in charge of the event, and he was not pleased with what happened.
“This is a student event, it has nothing to do with faculty or administration,” Ryder said. “I felt it wasn’t appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the professors protesting said they were trying to raise awareness of the situation.
Students seemed to be pleased with the barbecue, and some even expressed a desire to have these events more often.
“It should be every semester, it’s more welcoming to people who join mid-year,” a student said.
Other students said they simply enjoy having events with free food.
