To ease the stress of finals, the student group GoodSam will be doing random acts of kindness during Reading Week.
GoodSam – short for ‘Good Samaritan’ – was started by students inspired by the Bible and the story of the Good Samaritan. The student group hopes to promote kindness and hopes that those actions will reverberate across campus.
“Even though we’re told in kindergarten we’re not to talk to strangers, this event will not be like that,” GoodSam organizer Pat Garvin said. “We want to get through to others and hopefully make their days brighter.”
The fledgling group’s campaign will kick off Monday, just as Reading Week begins.
Students slogging through prep for finals can attend a barbecue beginning at 3 p.m. GoodSam will station itself in the fraternity quad on North Campus, where members will be handing out T-shirts. Garvin said students can participate in competitions and win prizes.
“We’ll be giving out free food, kind of like our own random act of kindness,” the Weinberg senior said. “Hopefully there will be lots of food, people and good vibes. Afterward, we’ll be handing out cards with suggestions on random acts of kindness.”
The group is comprised of about 10 members of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, though the event is not endorsed by the fraternity and does not reflect a religious aspect of the organization as a whole. It started out as a Bible study group and has grown into an organization that will hopefully continue this tradition for years to come, Garvin said.
“(This is) the first year we’re doing this campaign during the spring,” he said. “It’d be nice to have other students be part of it in the future.”
The group will also invite Northwestern alumni to come back onto campus to promote the event, Garvin said.
“It’s good we’re getting some alumni involved. The campaign is the culmination of our studies and efforts throughout the year,” McCormick sophomore Patrick Schnettler said. “It’s a great way to cap off what I thought was a strong year for us.”
