Students hold a variety of opinions after the first “UA Idea Day”
by Matthew Shepherd, ’19
UA Idea Day 2018, a first-of-its-kind event designed to inspire students to achieve success in their aspirations, was held on Feb. 9 and was met with both praise and criticism. While UA Idea Day was inspiring for many students, others have suggestions on how to improve it.
Sophomore Rachel Berk acted as the project director for UA Idea Day, which involved meeting with many of the speakers, going to meetings and making sure everything was running smoothly on the day of the event. Berk said she felt the UA Idea Day was a success overall.
“Even though it was not everyone’s ‘cup of tea,’” she said, “there were many students who met new people, formed connections and have hope for the future, making a difference.”
Despite Berk’s optimism, Idea Day was not without its flaws. Some students said that areas of the event could be improved, from limiting inappropriately timed ‘promposals’ to removing dull sessions.
For instance, while junior Linus Fraley enjoyed Idea Day overall and said he felt it will improve in the future, he had issues with the day’s organization.
“It was unclear when we were supposed to move on, the attendance didn’t work very well and the lunch situation—long lines and inefficiency—could be vastly improved,” Fraley said.
For some, UA Idea Day 2018 was an inspiration and a push to succeed later in life. For others, it was less than perfect, and had lots of room for improvement.