Elias Pike | News Editor | epike2@mail.smcvt.edu
For the past 70 years, P-Day has been a tradition at St. Michael’s College. This year is no different. P-Day will take place on Saturday, April 26.
P-Day, which stands for preparation day, is an event organized by the Student Government Association (SGA) and Student Activities. “It’s a unifying event, it’s an event that the entire community of students comes out to participate in,” said Jeff Vincent, associate dean of students and director of Residence Life and Community Standards.
This year’s P-Day, like P-Days past, will have a variety of food trucks and activities for students to participate in. “[These are all] ways for students to be able to have fun, get some good food, and enjoy the last official weekend on campus,” said James Baker, assistant director of Conferences and Special Events.
The day will start with a color run at 1:15 p.m., where a group of people will run through campus and, at the end, be covered in colored powder by other community members. The main festivities will take place on the 300s field at 2 p.m. Activities include riding on a mechanical bull, competing in an obstacle course, and driving RC cars. Live music will be organized by Turtle Underground and WWPV, the college radio station.
Local food trucks include Ben and Jerry’s, Church Street Cheese Steaks, and according to Catherine Wenner-strom, ’28, co-secretary of planning, there will be a new food truck at the event, Maharaja Spice.
“It’s such an honor to get to plan such a huge campus-wide event where everybody comes together, and it’s a day that’s all about community and the purple and gold spirit,” Wenner-strom said.
Like previous years, this year’s P-Day will be a closed campus event. This means that no one from other colleges will be allowed to stay on campus or participate in events. “For P-Day weekend, the campus will be closed to outside guests,” Vincent said. “The guest registration process will be closed, and the campus roads will be closed as well. All students will need to show their ID to come in and out of campus via car.”
Kate O’Sullivan, resident director at St. Michael’s, highlights how fun and safety are two important priorities for P-Day. “Maximum fun, and just below maximum fun is maximum safety,” she said.
“Originally started as preparation day for junior weekend, P-Day has given students something to look forward to since the 60s,” said Father Marcel. While Marcel has not attended P-Day in a couple of years, his memories of past ones ring with a strong sense of regularity. “I don’t remember there being much difference from what we experienced.”
Shannon Hadlock ’27 confirmed P-day is still a fun community event. “It encourages the community of our school to come together to foster togetherness before we part ways for the summer holidays.”
So, if you plan to attend remember to stay hydrated, bring your knight card and most importantly have fun.
