Ashland University faculty, staff and leadership recently began an event on campus titled “Swag Friday” which aims to engage and create a culture of student centricity.

Every Friday for three months of the fall and spring semesters, eagle-eyed students might spot the Swag Friday sign set up somewhere on campus with questions to answer and prizes to give away.

Dr. Judee Mulhollen, the director of Retention and Student Success Initiatives, created the event and took the time to comment about its purpose and creation.

“I had recently come back from a student success conference in Baltimore and had quite a bit of small group work there and this idea came to me,” Mulhollen explained. “We needed something at AU that just belongs to celebrating our students and lets them know how much we appreciate them. So, I convinced leadership and received a budget from Archer Student Retention dollars and off we went.”

Mulhollen also went on to explain the goals of the event and what it means for student appreciation.

“The main goal here is for AU students to see how much all of [staff, faculty and leadership] want to interact and show appreciation each and every week during the academic year because we love our students,” Mulhollen stated. “We want students to see how dedicated we are at being engaged and a part of their AU experience in a fun and positive way while giving away items from Tuffy’s closet.”

Upon visiting the location of the event last Friday, the faculty, staff and leadership working it were seen engaging with students, asking them trivia questions about AU and giving prizes away; causing many smiles and celebrations.
Kristina Cunningham, the assistant director of Academic Advising for Student Support and a faculty member running the event, was glad to discuss what Swag Friday was all about.

“This is something we decided to do to raise awareness, spirit and connectedness around campus,” Cunningham said. “We give prizes away to help raise students’ spirits and it helps to increase knowledge about our university.”

Racheal Yocum, a Professional Academic Advisor who was also working the event alongside Cunningham, discussed the prizes students could win by answering trivia questions correctly stating, “We have AU footballs, basketballs, lanyards, buttons, fidget spinners, tuffy towels, and cowbells; which are the most popular items people like to win.”

Anyone interested in participating in Swag Friday will have to be on the lookout, as the location varies from week to week and lasts until all prizes are claimed.

“Swag Fridays will take place typically from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.,” Mulhollen said. “We may be in front of Bixler, in the Student Center by the bookstore or in a particular building depending upon the department hosting the event that week. Students will have to keep a sharp eye and an ear to the ground!”