Hannukah Hooplah
Stress Factory
Program Summary: A two-week program to provide students with stress relievers/study breaks right before finals. Operation Procrastination consisted of tabling with stress balls in the student centers, a Hannukah Hooplah study break in a student center and ended with a night at the Stress Factory Comedy Club in New Brunswick.
Program Description: The Hannukah Hooplah was a small study break in the Atrium Meeting Room of the Rutgers College Student Center. At this event I set up a table with different Chanukah foods and projects. I provided jelly donuts and plenty of gelt. Also, the students could make candy dreidels out of snickers and Hershey kisses and stress balls from balloons and rice. It was meant as a social gathering for students passing by or for anyone who needed a break from studying. The Stress Factory is a perfect location right off campus to hold a night of comedy and fun. The students signed up in advance and showed up for the 8PM show and paid at the door. The group sat together during the show and laughed the night before finals away. To arrange to buy group tickets at the Stress Factory, contact Vinny at 732-545-HAHA.
Date: Hannukah Hooplay-Wednesday, December 5th 8PM
Stress Factory-Thursday, December 13th 8PM
Goals of Program: To get many Jewish students to spend time with each other and help each other through finals in a celebratory way. To let the Jewish student population know that we cared about them during this stressful time and provide them with outlets for study breaks.
Meet Goals? Why or Why not? Yes and No. While tabling with the stress balls I met MANY new students who I had never met before. However, because of timing, the turnout at the actual events were lower than I had anticipated. The students who did attend had a blast, especially at the Stress Factory!
Type of Program: Social, Holiday
Program Planned for: Everyone
Why planned? For fun, to engage new students, to celebrate Hannukah, for stress relief during a very busy time of the semester
Receive grants? No
How far ahead start planning? 2 months
How much time involved? 15 hours
People involved in planning? JCSC Fellow
Expected Attendance? 20
Actual attendance? 11
Budget: $100
Forms of Publicity: Word of mouth, personal e-mails, Greek mailboxes, Greek e-mail, Classified Ad in Targum, on calendar, in HLC e-mail, Hillel Happenings
Location of Event: Atrium Meeting Room in the Rutgers College Student Center
Stress Factory Comedy Club, 90 Church Street, New Brunswick
Suggestions for someone else: Involve students in the planning of the event, particularly representatives from the Greek community. Make sure to publicize well enough in advance. I started tabling two weeks ahead of time but I should have sent out flyers/ placed ads further in advance.
Why or why not successful? The program was successful because the tabling reached a large population that I had never met before. However, the turnout was not what I had expected. However, the people who went had a great time�quality, not quantity.
Impact of Program: The students saw that Jewish life can be fun and it projected a different image than they were used to. Also, it let students know that their Jewish community recognized their stressful time during finals.
Students enriched? Impact it had?: The students had a good time and interacted with each other. Hundreds of students in the student centers saw that the Jewish community was doing something fun and the students who attended appreciated the attention.