Western New England University freshmen gathered on Commonwealth Lawn on Monday September 4, for the annual Bear Olympic competition between student teams from each of the freshmen residence halls, Windham, Franklin, Hampden, Berkshire, and Commonwealth. They competed in the hope of securing the coveted Bear Olympic Trophy, and to make new friends.
“Being a Freshman, I didn’t know many people on campus after the first week, because I was so busy getting settled into my classes, however this event gives me a chance to really make some good connections with other students, and not just from my residence hall, but from other halls too,” said Bryan Ferreira. “I’m participating in the dodgeball event with my roommate which should be great since my dorm, Franklin Hall, is doing well in the overall competition.”
Freshman Samantha McCarthy explained eagerly, “Commonwealth is doing great against Windham which is where most of my friends are, and it’s super competitive, but all in good fun – as well as for bragging rights. I thankfully played in the volleyball portion of the Olympics because I played volleyball in high school. My roommate met a bunch of people here too so both of our friend groups are expanding!"
The evening before the Bear Olympics, the hip hop recording artist Blackbear treated the entire student body to a concert in Rivers Memorial Hall, as the final act of the WNE Palooza Festival. Blackbear is an American hip hop recording artist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has collaborated with several musical artists such as Gnash, Justin Bieber, G-Eazy, Linkin Park, and many more. He also co-wrote "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber.
“The concert is a great way for all the students to hear a great artist, and also meet other people with the same interest in music,” said Sophomore Jack Lever. “I really enjoy the rap culture and am glad that we got an experience like this one.”
