The movie playing in front of the roller skating rink wasn’t the only thing that was “Frozen” during the annual Winter Carnival on Saturday in Norris University Center.
The carnival, hosted by Student Organizations & Activities and NU Nights, took place amidst single-digit temperatures with a wind chill in the negatives.
Students crowded into the second floor of Norris, where nearly every room was filled with activities — including a dedicated coat room for the frigid evening.
K. Parker Hess, the assistant director of Student Organizations & Activities and adviser for NU Nights, played a key role in organizing the carnival this year, planning activities, games and food.
“We wanted to give students an opportunity to come back into the Winter Quarter and do something fun, because fun can be matched with work,” Hess said. “(We wanted) something that’s warm, but also winter themed.”
The event featured roller skating, T-shirt printing, tarot card reading, trivia, bingo, a photo booth with props and caricature painting.
Most notably, students participated in a battery-powered stuffed pig race, featuring competitors such as ‘Peter Porker,’ ‘Snoop Hogg,’ ‘The Pig Lebowski,’ ‘Lin-Manuel Mirhamda,’ and the fan-favorite ‘Notorious P.I.G.’
Participants could win bingo and trivia featuring prizes up to $200 in online gift cards, while enjoying soup, soda, soft pretzels, sugar cookies and hot chocolate, complete with peppermint and marshmallows.
“My favorite thing that I could do was roller skating because I’ve never roller skated before and I learned a new skill,” Weinberg freshman Aida Belay said.
Communication freshman Ella Smith said she enjoyed the trivia and roller skating. However, she said she wished the tarot card reading, which ended at 9 p.m., had continued for the whole event. She said she looked forward to having her tarot read.
Hess said space was a challenge when planning the carnival. Several additional activities were planned but there was not enough space to include them. He said the SOA team is considering expanding the event to another floor of the Norris Center in the future.
NU Nights and SOA are planning several upcoming events for the remainder of the Winter Quarter, according to Hess.
“(NU Nights is) programming alternatively to the events with alcohol or anything that is too loud. They often provide a refuge for students who want something quieter, more artistic, hands-on, something farther away from large crowds,” Hess said.
Hess said SOA is currently launching its Passport Program, in which students get off campus to see sights in the greater Chicago area, which he said students should look forward to.
“We’re taking students down to the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Institute of Chicago, we’re going to check out the Sky Tower, we’re going to the Bulls, we’re going to check out the Chicago Fire,” Hess said. “So lots of things are upcoming for our students.”
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