ETSU’s 13th annual Winter Cruise last Thursday, was a success for most of the groups who participated.
Each year Winter Cruise brings an array of campus organizations together beneath one roof to tell students about events and activities at ETSU.
Approximately 40 organizations came together in the Culp Center to celebrate this year’s theme — The Eccentric ’80s.
The Student Social Workers Association brought a popular piece of 80’s flare to the event — a Sega gaming system. Students crowded around playing “Safari Hunt,” trying to score the highest points and win prizes.
Sue Miller, SSWA president, said the group came to Winter Cruise to promote a canned food drive for Good Samaritan, a hunger relief group, and tell students about social work. Miller said SSWA is trying to become one of the top 50 organizations in the country to collect foods and that so far the drive is going well.
It seems this year’s 80’s theme worked better for some organizations than it did for others.
Campus House member and freshman, Josh Blair, said “We had really annoying 80s music playing, but it was annoying, so we turned it off.”
However, one Campus House member, Allison Cotton, was in more of a retro-festive mood, sporting pink tights and roller-skates. “I am the essence of the ’80s,” she said.
Campus House, which promotes Christian student fellowship, meets at a variety of times during the week.
Disability Services display was another flashback highlight at this year’s cruise. They sponsored an 80’s trivia game that drew about 30 participants. Emily Alred, freshman and worker in the Disability Services office, said the day was kind of slow at first, but that it picked up later on.
The Boys and Girls Club of Johnson City’s booth also attracted a lot of attention. For a dollar students could surprise their sweethearts with a valentine and candy. Katie Edwards, freshman, said the group was selling about 50 valentines a day for the past week and had sold about a 100 during Winter Cruise.
All the money raised at the event will go to the Boy’s and Girls Club of Johnson City.
The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance was another group that made a successful voyage this year. Misty Adams, president, said people had been coming by their booth, joining the group and supporting their cause. “We’ve done a lot of educating,” she said. “There are a lot of misconceptions about women’s issues.” They meet every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Women’s Resource Center.
Volunteer ETSU was one group whose day didn’t get going quite like they hoped. At the end of the day they had registered only 15 people to donate on each day of ETSU’s two-day blood drive; the total goal is 90.
Sara Whitlock, senior and volunteer, said [the American Red Cross] brought the blood mobile to campus last year because they were so desperate. “There is a national emergency,” she said.
The Blood Drive will run from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the Culp Center Ballroom on Feb. 11 and 12. Call Volunteer ETSU at 439-4254 or 439-5675 to sign up.

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