By Hannah Smith, Nov. 9, 2021
The Cal Poly Pomona Library Club prepares to give thanks this season by hosting Gather Around the Table, a Thanksgiving-themed film and food event on Nov. 10.
The event will be held on Discord, where participants can join the voice channel to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and use their text channels to meet new people and chat with friends.
“We wanted to have a friendsgiving, something very intimate for our members because being in the virtual world, we don’t have that opportunity very often,” said Library Club President Dannielle Cabrera. “It’s not like we can just go and meet up in person, so we thought the next best thing would be to watch a movie together and all eat.”
Previous Library Club events have focused on creating an atmosphere where students can take a break from their busy schedules and meet some new friends. According to Cabrera, the club event is meant to help relieve some of the stress of a busy schedule by providing meals for members while also giving them an opportunity to meet with people they are thankful for.
To capture the feel of a Thanksgiving dinner, the club offered the first 15 people to RSVP on myBAR DoorDash credit so they could enjoy a complimentary meal at the event. According to Library Club Vice President Natali Carmona, the event was originally planned for Nov. 3 but was delayed to Nov. 10 at 6 p.m due to technical issues with the DoorDash system.
The club went through ASI to set up the DoorDash ordering system which was supposed to provide codes for their members. When codes could not be accessed, ASI offices were already closed so the club members voted to move the event to Nov. 10.
“For sure this time it’s going to be done right,” said Library Club Treasurer Marilu Salcedo. “So I’m looking forward that they are going to be able to get their meals this time.”
When the event resumes, the original 15 members who received DoorDash codes will be able to redeem their meal. Other students who are interested in the event are still welcome to join the server with their own meals or snacks and watch the movie.
Though there were some difficulties in getting the Thanksgiving event up and running, the Library Club has had success in the past with their virtual events on Discord. Their previous event, the Halloween Spooky Arts and Crafts Night event, was also held over Discord where students painted pumpkins provided by the club while watching a Halloween movie.
Melane Olmeda, a political science student, awaits the club’s next event.
“I had a lot of fun at the Halloween event,” said Olmeda. “I like that they use Discord and just kind of chat and watch videos. You just kind of relax doing arts and crafts and stuff, so when they (announced) the Thanksgiving event, I thought it would be fun to watch videos and eat food together.”
Salcedo shared how these relaxing Library Club events appeal to students.
“Students are stressed, and based on some of our members’ opinions, they enjoy our events because they are focusing on something that distracts their minds,” said Salcedo.
By providing free craft supplies that can be easily picked up at the campus library or mailed to students and by providing DoorDash codes so students can find a meal that fits their tastes, the Library Club is taking away the stress of organizing and deciding from club members. According to Cabrera, these events are meant to relieve the pressure to be perfect and to just have fun focusing on comfort.
The club’s use of Discord has also brought students closer together and allowed them to feel more connected to their campus when most classes are still hybrid. The Library Club plans on continuing monthly events to engage with the campus and educate students on the library and its resources.
For students interested in joining the event, go to the club’s myBAR page for more information.
Featured image courtesy of Natali Carmona.
