By Bree Cotroneo
Staff Writer
With campus in a lull and students craving socialization, Friday Knight Dry (FKD) aims to provide students with a safe way to gather and fill the social void that COVID-19 has caused. The annual event filled with activities, food, and a raffle, hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA) will be held on Friday, October 30 will begin at 7 p.m., and will be open to everyone on campus. Just like most campus events this year, FKD will look a bit different this fall due to COVID-19, and will follow strict COVID-related guidelines.
“Friday Knight Dry is a fun, campus-wide event every semester that aims to provide an alternative to partying on a Friday Knight,” said head organizers Anna Witkowski and Sierah Miles, the two co-secretaries of Programming on the Student Government Association. The two explained that October FKD is especially fun because the event includes fall and Halloween decor. “At Friday Knight Dry, there are always games at the beginning where students can earn tickets to then be used during the raffle later in the evening. There is also plenty of food,” said Witkowski.
The organizers have done their best to create activities that maintain social distancing and avoid large crowds, they said. “Instead of taking place in Dion and then Alliot, FKD will be on the Library Lawn, with carnival games all around the area and food trucks lining the edge of the lawn. Also this year, the raffle will be livestreamed so there is no crowd during announcements,” stated Miles. Along with a different set up, there will be different entrance time slots based on where students live. Students from the townhouses are invited to arrive at 7 p.m., Residence Hall 4 and Aubin at 7:30 p.m., suites at 8 p.m., followed by Lyons and Alumni at 8:30 p.m.
This year, FKD is strongly enforcing “My culture is not your costume,” a precedent ensuring that culturally appropriative and offensive Halloween costumes will not be tolerated at Saint Michael’s College. “We are collaborating with the Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Ashley DeLeon and her committee to ensure that all FKD participants feel respected and supported at the event. Specific guidelines can also be found on the website in the week leading up to the event, so attendees can plan costumes accordingly if they choose to dress up,” said Witkowski.
If you plan on attending, you must participate in at least one game to earn tickets, and a stamp to redeem for food. The organizers are excited to announce that two Nintendo Switches, two pairs of AirPods, an Apple Watch, and a Roku TV will be raffled. All information about Friday Knight Dry can be found by visiting the Student Government Association website at www.smcvt.sga.com.
“I am excited to see what they’re going to do this year around COVID. I am happy they are still having it, it’ll be nice to have an activity for students to safely go to. It was a lot of fun last year, so I’m hoping it’ll be fun this year too.” Katie Bassett
