Lines were out the door in the Rhatigan Student Center for Student Activities Council’s Build-A-Friend, an event where students swipe their ID cards and get to work on filling empty teddy bears with stuffing.
Build-A-Friend mimicked the popular Build-A-Bear store, with students rotating to different stations. After swiping their ID, choosing a bear design was next.
Students could choose from four options: rainbow bear, small brown bear, small ginger bear and a classic big brown bear. Once people picked a design, they huddled next to peers to begin stuffing bears.
The final step was choosing from two Wichita State-themed t-shirt options for their furry friend.
Students began lining up as early as 10:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. event. Twenty minutes later, the line was outside the north doors of the RSC.
“Having this opportunity for them to kind of relax, hang out with their friends and do something that’s just fun and taps into that creative aspect that’s just hands-on, really gives them an opportunity to not only reconnect with the student body but also to just kind of get to learn more about what we do as an organization and things of that nature,” said Jayden Island, VP of membership for Student Activities Council (SAC).
Less than thirty minutes into the event, Island said the organization was halfway through their available bears.
“I saw on a like, calendar thing on my floor that there was a Build-A-Bear thing, and I haven’t done Build-A-Bear in forever, so I thought it’d be super fun and super cool,” Ashlee Prebble, a pre-nursing major said. “And now I have a new little bear friend with a WSU matching shirt.”
Students also said the “convenient” location and time of day played a role in choosing to attend this event over others happening on campus.
“It’s a really good opportunity to kind of just get out and have fun before we got to go back to class, which is kind of stressful, you know?” Senior Devon Robinson said.
SAC’s next event is its Mini Music Fest on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Duerksen Amphitheater. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m.
