Students look forward to Fridays because they indicate a start to the weekend, but Fridays at Lehigh also bring an opportunity for students to create something new.
Every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Office of Student Activities hosts Make and Take in Lamberton Hall. Students are given supplies and instructions to make a craft to take home with them.
Along with the Office of Student Activities, other student organizations help host Make and Take to raise awareness of upcoming events or a cause that is important to them. The student organizations choose the craft that will be featured at the event.
Lindsay Bailey, ’17, ran last Friday’s event as a representative of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. to promote Spa and Self-care Night, which will be held Wednesday.
“I think Make and Take is just a fun way to kick off your weekend,” Bailey said.
Bailey said many students don’t have classes on Friday, so it is an interesting way to spend part of their day.
Sigma Gamma Rho featured homemade bath bombs at its Make and Take to further promote personal health and well being. Student organizations hosting Make and Take aim to create a stress-free environment so participants can enjoy themselves and relieve their worries.
“It gives me a chance to not actually think about anything school related for a little bit,” said Cynthia Cheng, ’18, who participated in bath bomb crafting with her friends.
Nia Baker, ’19, said she goes to Make and Take when she can.
“It’s nice, you get free stuff, it’s good to sit down sometimes with people you don’t know and relax,” Baker said.
Crafts vary significantly each week depending on the host organization. Cheng said her sophomore year she decorated a fish bowl and got a fish at the end, which she still has.
Bailey said the variety of crafts and the environment of Make and Take brings in a regular crowd. Bailey said there are not many on-campus events that bring in regulars.
Calvin Floyd, ’19, said Make and Takes add to the Lehigh experience because they give more options to students looking to fill their Friday afternoons.
Bailey said stress is something that encompasses our campus community, and a non-alcoholic or substance-based activity to relieve that stress often seems like a rarity.
“We tend to cope with stress with alcohol and coffee, and I want to emphasize the self-care aspect of college,” Bailey said. “I just don’t want people to look back at their college years and just remember how stressed they were.”
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