Have you ever wished for a chance to get to know your professors better? What about getting to ask them about their career choices?
The English Department at Governors State University attempted to help students answer those questions on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
An email went out to all of the English Department students inviting them to a mixer with other English students, both undergraduate and graduate. Some classes even ended early so the students could attend.
Tables were set up with different extracurricular activities that are sponsored by the English Department. Groups like The Reading Jaguars, ArtSci, and Reconstructed were there to give information about their programs.
As each student signed in, they were asked to join in a scavenger hunt designed to help them get to know professors and other students. For the hunt, the students asked questions of others at the mixer with the goal of opening lines of communication. Among the numerous questions were: Which professor worked at a graveyard? What does the writing fellow do? Which professor has four degrees and plays in a band? What was a professor’s favorite class to take in grad school?
A raffle was held near the end of the mixer with all the prizes being contributed by the professors. The prizes included books with quotes from the professors in them, even gift cards.
In the end, every student who put their name into the raffle won something. Only those students who did not enter the drawing or left without filling out the raffle ticket left empty handed.
Since the English Department has become so small over the years, this was a great way for the students to connect with their professors and future professors. Events like this help bridge the gap between student and professor allowing them to connect on a more even playing field, which is a love for reading and writing.