The Student Government Association hosted a winter-themed social for students of all religious backgrounds on Wednesday. 

This is the third year SGA hosted an event that celebrates all winter holidays, not just Christmas. 

“Not everyone celebrates Christmas,” Zack Buster, SGA president and organizer of the event, said. “Any student of any background can come and feel welcome.”

SGA and the Office of Student Engagement hosted the event for students to help prepare for finals and the holiday season.

“People need time to wind down,” Sparsh Verma, a first-year business administration student and SGA vice president of public relations, said. 

Leila Townsend, a second-year political science student and SGA vice president of outreach and engagement, agreed.

“It is the holiday season and with finals, you may forget that,” Townsend said. “I think it’s nice to put people in a mood ready for the holidays.”

One student noted the welcoming nature of the event.

Sean Thurspy, a second-year biology student, said the event welcomed all students regardless of “spiritual practice.”

“This is not, like, a mono-religious event,” Thurspy said. “[Events] like these develop not only an era of comfort but also acceptance.”

Thurspy added: “Cultivating [an] accepting environment is a very important thing.”

Second-year business administration student Alex Sorto said the event brought back childhood memories.

“As a kid, every year at [elementary school], we would have a big movie night,” Sorto said. “We would have hot chocolate, cookies, whatever. … That was basically our last day before heading out for winter break. It feels like [I’m] going back to that.”

Sorto added: “If they can bring a movie next year, it would be 100% better.”

Other students said they came to take a break from studying.

Matthew Bacho, a first-year physics student, said the event felt like a moment to “decompress.”

“I get stuck in my head a lot,” Bacho said. “This [event] helps me kind of just drop my shoulders and chill out.”

Second-year biology student Chloe Yates said the event offered students a break after studying for finals.

“It’s good to relax, especially before an exam,” Yates said. “The events that these guys [SGA] hold all the time are awesome.”