The Blue
Tribune
The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
What is S.A.D. at Covenant?
One day a year, students are excited to receive a surprise email in their inboxes announcing a day-long event called S.A.D. Why do the students get so excited and begin telling each other “Happy SAD!” as they walk by? S.A.D. stands for “Student Appreciation Day,” a randomly chosen day of the semester during which the staff and faculty communicate their appreciation for students and encourage them in fun ways.
Food
The fun begins in the Great Hall with special meals, usually student’s favorites. This year, the Great Hall had a candy bar set up during lunch and dinner for students to build a candy mix! What college student doesn’t like candy? There were also special bottled sodas. Some of the students' favorite meals included fried chicken and mac n’ cheese for lunch and an ice cream float bar at dinner.
Prizes
Apart from the fun food, all students' names are entered into drawings, and throughout the day winners are picked to receive a prize donated from either a local business or college employees. The prizes could include things from coffee shop gift cards to gift baskets or even home-baked goods. This year in the student development office, Diana Reed started emailing local businesses and restaurants months before the giveaway and in total emailed over one hundred different people! Students were winners of some exciting gifts, and by winners, I don’t mean five or so winners, I mean, over 150 winners. Starting at 9 a.m., ten giveaways were announced by the hour with up to 20 people winning a prize every time. And, if you were a student not chosen in the hourly giveaway, every single student received a free bowling pass to Sparetime. The prizes and gift cards are a fun way for students to be able to explore off the mountain in their free time.
Study Breaks
Though the Great Hall and the giveaways are exciting, they are not the favorite part of S.A.D. On the Chapel and Brock Lawn starting after lunch and going until before dinner, students can enjoy a study break in between classes or work. On Chapel Lawn, a fan favorite is a petting zoo including miniature highland cows, llamas, goats, sheep, rabbits, and a friendly golden retriever. On Brock Lawn, a food truck hands out warm donuts and a table serving coffee and hot chocolate sits next to a variety of lawn games or activities. This year's activities included an inflatable obstacle course and a new favorite: Zorb Ball races. Zorb Balls, giant inflatable hamster balls, proved to be the perfect entertainment after a long afternoon class. These activities, much like the whole event, are a surprise each year. This year, S.A.D. landed near the end of the semester making it a welcome break from final projects and exams.
Student Appreciation Day, or the ironic acronym of S.A.D., is yet another example of how Covenant celebrates the unique community and special relationships amongst staff, faculty, and students.