By, Kyla Guilfoil & Karen Flores, Asst. News Editor & Staff Writer
Manhattan College’s Black Student Union (BSU) and Sigma Delta Tau (SDT) the college’s sorority, teamed up to host a Movie on the Quad last Friday night.
This is the first Movie on the Quad that the BSU and SDT have co-hosted at MC. Ashley Baptiste, senior and co-president of the BSU, told The Quadrangle that she had discussions throughout the summer with SDT’s VP of Diversity and Inclusion, Jilleen Barrett, about co-hosting events this semester.
“A long-term goal of BSU has been to increase collaboration with different clubs on campus,” said Baptiste. “Jilleen and I met to discuss what events we would like to see on campus and for BSU and SDT. We decided on an educational event and a community engagement event. When I heard that Student Engagement was hosting weekly movie nights, I thought it was a wonderful way for us to get involved and start off the semester right.”
Baptiste explained that the specific movie, “Soul,” was chosen by herself and Barrett after the two received a list of movies from Student Engagement. The pair mutually agreed that the film was a perfect choice to start off the movie series on the Quad.
Soul, a 2020 Pixar movie, tells the story of a middle school teacher named Joe Gardner whose life passion is jazz but has struggled to create a stable and successful career out of it. When he is given the opportunity of a lifetime, he takes a fall that leads to him going to a different realm where he works towards getting his old life back.
“The movie ‘Soul’ teaches the lesson that even though the future is unclear we should accept change with an open mind,” Baptiste told The Quadrangle. “In lieu of the current transition that we are all enduring from a virtual to an in-person environment, this movie is a perfect fit.”
In addition to the movie, there were activities on the quad from 7 pm to 8pm, with the movie beginning at 8. These activities included music provided by David Morris and Clockwork DJ, games of corn- hole, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers and beverages that were available to all students.
Both resident and commuter students were present, mingling as music played waiting for the movie to begin. Students sat together on blankets and park chairs relaxing after the ending of the first week of classes on campus. As the sun began to set, sparklers were handed out to students to celebrate the event.
“Buzzing, mate!” Brandon Joseph-Buadi, a marketing major, said in regards to how he felt about the event. “Both are great organizations. All for it!” he told The Quadrangle as he and his friends sat on the grass listening to the music and waiting with anticipation for the start of the movie.
“I think movie nights are a cool way to bring people together and enjoy a fun movie. I’m excited to watch ‘Soul’ since I’ve never seen it before,” said Ryan Truhn, mechanical engineering student. Truhn was sitting with friend Julia Ettere, who graduated in 2021, who told that Quadrangle that she was “excited to be here to support BSU and the sorority and to enjoy a nice night on the quad.”
Throughout the event, students chatted, ate and celebrated the end of their first week of classes.
“I think the transition from online learning to in-person learning has been hard on everyone,” said Baptiste. “It is exciting to see friends and professors again but change is challenging. Events in which you can bring the campus and community together to celebrate the beginning of a new semester are crucial. This semester has begun with full speed and students need a second to step back and enjoy this return to being fully in-person and spend time with friends and fellow students.”
The next event to be co-hosted by BSU and SDT will be a resume-building workshop later on in the fall semester. For further information on this event and any other events hosted by the BSU or SDT, reach out to bsu@manhattan. edu or sigmadeltatau@manhattan.edu
Editor’s Note: Jilleen Barrett serves as Arts & Entertainment Editor and Managing Editor for the Quadrangle.