New CAT calendar, more activities
HPU students Leni Fragakis and Sam Vogel at the CAT ice skating event.
By Chelsie Gastright
Many students are aware of the Campus Activities Team, CAT, and how each semester it sends out a calendar laying out every activity offered by High Point University. However, not many students understand the hard work that is done behind the scenes to make these events possible. This month, two big events are being sponsored by CAT, one of which is a campus-wide favorite and the other is a new experience for all involved.
On Jan. 25, CAT is taking the first 100 students to sign up at the Campus Concierge desk ice skating. One thing that makes the ice skating experience authentic is being able to skate on an outdoor rink. Thanks to the WFMY News 2 Piedmont Winterfest in downtown Greensboro, students from HPU and all around the Piedmont Triad can have that experience.
“A lot of the student population is from up North, and it’s something that is really prevalent amongst students here. We take 100 students each time we go ice skating and every time it fills up,” said Maghon Walker, coordinator of student programming at HPU.
The ice skating event starts at 8 p.m. tonight. HPU Students will get the rink to themselves for an hour and a half.
“I’m from Maryland and I used to go skating a lot at home. I kind of grew up with it, and it was nice to have an experience from home available at HPU,” said Alex Ortowski, HPU freshman.
Ortowski enjoyed the trip so much that she actually went on to take the ice skating PE class now offered through HPU this spring.
Along with ice-skating, CAT has also planned its first video game tournament for Jan. 27.
After speaking with a company that specializes in video game tournaments, Walker has put together a gamer’s dream. On the bottom floor of the University Center behind the escalators will be three very large inflatable screens that allow two players simultaneously per screen.
While the game choice for the tournament has not been revealed, several options have been discussed. Games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Halo are just three of the possibilities. In the end, it will more than likely be based off arcade game popularity.
As the video game tournament is taking place, the Point arcade will remain open for regular business hours and there will be a ping-pong competition.
“We are hoping to attract a different crowd that usually comes to these events. The people that are going ice skating may not be the same people that come to this tournament,” said Walker.
A time has not been designated for the tournament yet, but more details are going to be released as the date gets closer, including the game selection, Walker says.
CAT tries to plan activities that students are most likely to attend. In addition to ice skating, the most popular events include trips to midnight showings of movies, such as Harry Potter and Twilight.
For more information about CAT, the HPU Cinema, and the Point Arcade, you can find Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Point arcade does not have a twitter, but they are on Facebook.