By Amber Nodes
Staff Writer
The College Union Board (CUB) hosted a Little Italy themed nooner on Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brower Student Center in conjunction with the College Italian Club to provide students with a taste of Italian culture.
Students received free pizza, cannolis and masquerade masks to decorate with colored pencils, crayons and stick-on gems. The event attendees ate on the red checkered tablecloths with fake candles while listening to an Italian-inspired tune.
On the wall was a backdrop of the Leaning Tower of Pisa with signs and masks to take pictures in front of the tower with.
Many students responded well to the event, as well as the theme.
“I liked all the food options, and I liked the atmosphere, the banners, and the balloons and the music,” said senior math and secondary education major Alyssa Schroeck.
Schroeck said that wished that they had something more interactive like games.
“I feel like the food is definitely what’s drawing everyone in,” said sophomore math and secondary education major Kyla Devlin while decorating a mask. “And also the masks are really cute — that's a very creative idea.”
Devlin said that she would have liked to have seen more decorations on the wall. According to Devlin, this nooner appeared more populated than the others she had been and her guess was because of the food.
Lilly Collins, a sophomore history and secondary education major, was an organizer of the event and said that planning the event was a long process. She started by brainstorming ideas and what she thought students would want to see.
The Italian Club co-sponsored the event and gave her ideas for the activities and music.
“I looked into Italian restaurants, and so I started with the checkered tables and then candles,” Collins said. “I also wanted to make sure that it wasn’t stereotypical or offensive in any way, so we talked to the Italian Club. It was just kind of a fun way to experience culture — everyone loves Italian food — but also a way to learn.”
The Italian Club’s Instagram page posts updates about when they meet and what events they do. CUB also posts student events on their Instagram.
