Students got to chip away at their stress brick by brick Jan. 28 at the Student Activities Board Lego-building party.
Early arrivals were rewarded as the Lego kits ran out almost immediately. By 3 p.m., the official start time of the event, the last few boxes of Legos were distributed.
As students filed into the Ronnie Williams Student Center ballroom, they were able to pick from a variety of kits, grab a snack and then listen to music as they built their kits alongside friends.
Katie McCarthy, a freshman psychology major, came with her friend Emma Wilson, a freshman elementary education major. The pair shared the Lego park tractor kit.
McCarthy said she attended because “I like Legos, simple as that. All my sets are at home. I don’t really have room for them up here but they’re fun. It’s always been a fun thing to do.”
“I’m glad that they’re making a comeback,” McCarthy said. “I think when the flower sets came out, people started using them as decoration.”
“You can display them, that’s part of why they’re so popular with adults especially. They’re not just toys,” she said.
Wilson said she enjoyed that she and McCarthy could now share custody over the Lego set that they built together. She added that the event was something to look forward to at the end of the day and helped her get ready for the week.
Sophomore art education major Olivia Smith attended the Lego building part with Noah Dykes, a freshman accounting major.
Dykes said he liked that the event was free because Legos can be expensive.
“[Legos] were a staple in my childhood. I feel like it brings out my inner child.”
“I liked that they had so many options. There was Pokemon stuff, cars, flowers, there’s a bunch of different options,” Dykes said.
Smith said, “Lego kits are just so therapeutic, fun and cute and it was just something to do on a Sunday afternoon.”
“I think the setup was really good, especially having a whole variety of kits. Everyone can have something that they prefer … You get to pick something that is more personal.”
Smith did the Lego tulip set. “I feel like the flowers were kind of more my thing.”
Smith said that she also enjoyed that SAB supplied snacks and that she also got to get a Lego keychain.
“You’re under so much stress already in your school and so it’s nice to have something that’s like, ‘Oh I don’t have to think about the next assignment I’m doing because I’m building Lego flowers,’” Smith said.
Emmet Brick, a freshman logistics and supply chain major, said that he came with his friend Ethan Marbaise, a senior economics major.
Brick said, “I think it was a very smart event to do. They ran out very quickly so it’s definitely engaging students, getting people together.”
Marbaise said, “The idea of free Legos is very incentivizing for me.”
Marbaise said he got the Lego shark kit. He added that the most exciting part of the evening was building the shark’s head. “I didn’t know that it was the head, so I was completely shocked, and then I was scared because it’s a shark.”
Marbaise said he loves Legos because he thinks they are beneficial to those who, like himself, have ADHD.
“I feel like there’s a good part of your day that would be better if you had Legos,” Marbaise said.
SAB volunteer Tyler Lister got the Lego camera set and said that he was excited to add it to his collection of eight other Lego sets that he has in his dorm.
Lister said he enjoyed “the relaxing feeling of escaping from stress and focusing on such a simple step-by-step puzzle.”
SAB will have its general member meeting Feb. 1 in room 214 of the Ronnie Williams Student Center during X-period.
During its next event, SAB will celebrate the Chinese New Year with DIY chopstick kits Feb. 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first floor of the student center.
