The Student Activities Council (SAC) announced the return of one of Union’s most unique traditions: Be Our Guest, an intimate way for students to get to know their professors in a non-academic environment held this Oct. 26-28.
It is a common joke that some professors do not go home after classes end. Instead, they sleep under their desks and hibernate in their offices. It is not until students see them at the grocery store that they realize that teachers and professors have lives outside of class just like themselves. College is a strange world in which students spend many hours in the classroom with several professors every semester, and by the end of it still do not know each other very well.
That is when SAC decided they wanted to bring this fact to light by giving the opportunity for professors to invite students into their own homes for the evening. From a fancy three-course meal to a DoorDash order of Popeyes, the mission is the same: to build a strong Christian community of students and faculty that extends further than doing and grading assignments.
“I think the difference is that it’s more professor-oriented one, whereas the other ones doesn’t involve the faculty as much,” Hope Bitter, one of the SAC chairmen, said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to get to know a professor that they either have or don’t know.”
Participating faculty get to choose how many students they are willing to host. Those who signed up are contacted and assigned a preferred professor to spend the evening with. Then the professor arranges a night of good food, fun and community.
Unlike the other events put on by SAC, Be Our Guest is an ongoing event that runs into the beginning of the weekend. Whereas most events may be a one-night event like a campus bonfire or themed party, Be Our Guest has a sign-up sheet, one that has been filled to the brim weeks ahead of time. It is one of the most anticipated events of the year for SAC and rightfully so. Sign-ups have already closed with a full roster of eager participants.
“It’s a chance to get to know the professor outside the confines of the school,” Jeremiah Chapman, SAC member and one of this year’s attendees, said. “In Be Our Guest, you can see the more friendly side of your teacher, the more hospitable side. It brings out the humanity among professors and student instead of just ‘teacher’ and ‘student.’”
Although sign-ups are already closed, the opportunity will return in the 2024 spring semester.