Kent State students came together to have fun and give back to the community at the Rock the Quad event Wednesday.

“It’s normally known as Quad Fest, but every year we do a different theme,” said Matthew Amendola, senior criminology and justice studies major. This year, the staff decided to call the event Rock the Quad.

Students participated in several activities including cornhole, face painting and tie-dye.

“There’s a gentleman whose wife is one of the area coordinators of residence services and is doing handwriting analysis,” Amendola said.

Rock the Quad found a way to incorporate philanthropy into its annual event.

Students wrote on a banner explaining why they chose to go to college. The banner will be delivered to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Reserve, which serves the greater Akron area.

“They basically encourage youth development and provide after school programming,” said Amanda Bevington, junior communication studies major. “Statistics says after school programming means students are less likely to do drugs, they’re less likely to drop out, they’re less likely to be teen parents and they’re more likely to graduate college.”

The organization encourages students to accomplish something with their education after high school.

“I think there’s something about college that you learn about yourself and the knowledge that you gain is invaluable,” Bevington said. “I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it because I’ve had such a great college experience and I want other people to have that same experience as well.”

The living-learning communities, student success programs, financial aid office and other organizations passed out resources to students at the event.

 “Students can never have too much information,” said Jacqueline Kus, the Lake and Olson residence hall director. “It is just a healthy reminder five weeks in that these resources are available and these people are here to help you and support you.”

“It’s a great way to build a community and to get to know the resources that are on campus,” Amendola said.

Resident assistants and residence hall directors from Lake, Olson, Johnson and Stopher halls, as well as the Honors College, CCI Commons and EXCEL, collaborated to plan the event.

“We wanted students in the Quad area to have a home with an activity or an event,” Kus said.

Contact Carolyn Pippin at [email protected].