PartyBucs, a relatively new student organization, has big plans to bring the ETSU community together and spread mental health awareness in the upcoming fall semester.
Through its support of the Counseling Center and organizations like Active Minds, PartyBucs is able to bring students together to have fun while also sharing available mental health resources in a less intimidating environment.
“We want to be there for our people [to] just make sure that everyone’s okay, they’re coping in the right ways, [and] they’re there for the right reasons,” said Caelan Peterson, the coordinator of Student Engagement for Athletics and Student Life.
Katie Ward, who has been with PartyBucs since its beginning in the spring semester of 2022, shares that PartyBucs is also helping to reshape the way that people view mental health.
“People think about [mental health as] counseling, therapy… but this is another way of approaching it,” Ward said.
PartyBucs aims to show students “that we do care… that we have these resources and it’s not a scary thing to come to the counseling center,” Ward said.
According to Ward, PartyBucs is different from any other organization on campus in the way that it operates on a broad spectrum level, reaching more of the ETSU community.
“This is more integrative and diverse, and there’s so many different people that come together to work on it,” Ward said. “You can have fun no matter who you are, no matter what age you are.”
Upcoming events presented by PartyBucs include a Pajama Party on Sept. 15 from 8-11 p.m. in the Culp Ballroom and a 70s theme homecoming dance with a live disco ball dubbed “Boogie in Brooks” on Oct. 21 from 8-11 p.m. in the Brooks Gymnasium.
As for the future of PartyBucs, Ward feels that the organization can only get “bigger and better [with] more dances and activities.”
“There’s so many different things that it could be, so I’m excited to see how far that it does grow,” Ward said.
Students interested in getting involved with PartyBucs should get in touch with one of its leadership members.
For more information about PartyBucs and their upcoming events visit their instagram: @partybucs.
