U of L Fresh Fest going virtual with lineup of events

By Jensen, Randy on September 10, 2020.

LETHBRIDGE HERALD

The start of the fall semester would not be complete without the annual Fresh Fest extravaganza to properly welcome students to campus culture at the University of Lethbridge. But how can you create culture in the virtual and socially distanced world of COVID-19? The U of L Students’ Union (ULSU) knows how.

The ULSU’s Fresh Fest 2020 takes place this week and features a number of outstanding events thanks to the efforts of the organizing group who helped put the virtual festival together.

“We have been working tirelessly to be innovative with Fresh Fest this year, with unprecedented cross-campus collaborations and new events,” says Richard Lee-Thai, the ULSU’s vice-president of Student Affairs, in a news release. “The objective of Fresh Fest is the same, to celebrate the U of L and connect students together, and we believe we’ve lined up a series of events that will do just that.”

Of the many events on tap for the week, a trio of sessions stand out.

– Campus Concert Kick-Off (today at 6 p.m.) – Organized by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA), the ULSU is one of 26 Canadian campuses that will be collaborating on hosting an online concert. Featuring six different artists, as well as a contest for a student to win free tuition for a year, this nationwide concert will be the first of its kind.

– A Conversation with Angela Davis (Friday at 6 p.m.) – Organized initially by the ULSU and the Students’ Association at MacEwan University (SAMU), a total of six partnering campuses have come on board to host a moderated discussion and Q & A with political activist Angela Davis. Eternity Martis, author of “They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up,” will also join the presentation. The speakers will be discussing issues of anti-racism and allyship in current times.

– First Lecture (Saturday, at 2 p.m.) – As a bookend to the annual Last Lecture event where professors share what they would say in their last lecture, First Lecture will feature five alumni giving talks to new and continuing students. This is a collaboration between the ULSU, PACT (philanthropy, advancement, community, traditions) and Alumni Relations.

“As well, a series of speed friending activities, presentations from Agility, a digital scavenger hunt and many more activities have been scheduled,” says Lee-Thai.

For a full lineup of Fresh Fest activities, visit the Fresh Fest website at https://events.ulsu.ca/index.php?seotitle=fresh-fest-1.

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