By Anna Beatriz De Santanna and Melike Hilal Gumus
IGNITE threw a free event this week for Humber students to celebrate the end of their academic year with food, activities, games and gifts.
The event, Hype Hall, took place on Tuesday, April 5, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. almost three weeks before the end of the school year, when most students are preparing for their final assignments and exams.
When asked by Humber News if she missed any classes, Business Management student Richa Khatri said she “had to miss her Tuesday classes for the event” because she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to attend her first in-person college event.
Parth Gandhia, a Global Business Management student, wondered about the timing of the event.
“One thing that IGNITE can work on is that next time they can organize it on a weekend when students don’t have classes,” she said.
However, there were students who liked that the event was on a weekday, and it didn’t take time from their weekend plans.
“I feel like we all have plans on the weekends and I wouldn’t want to come to a school event, so during the week is good,” said Alyssa Pantin, a student in the Cosmetic Management program.
The event included free massages, sports games, raffles, facials and salon services, and photo opportunities.
“It was really fun, I enjoyed how they had multiple stations, and they also focused on having makeup and sports events as well,” said Cindy Nguyen, an Early Childhood Studies student.
“I mainly focused on the beauty aisle, I got a hair cut and I also got a facial. I also got a massage and my nails done,” she added.
The location of the event at Universal EventSpace in Vaughan brought mixed reactions from the students because it was a 10-minute drive, or 45-minute transit journey from the Humber College North Campus.
But most students were happy with it.
“I like [holding the event] outside of campus, but I don’t know about Tuesday. Because I had a class and I kinda had to rearrange my schedule to fit it,” said Satara Dihal, a Business student at Guelph Humber.
The registration for the event was opened a couple of weeks ahead, giving students a chance to get their tickets in time after they heard about the event.
“I got an email from IGNITE and I registered myself,” Gandhia said.
“I actually saw posters I think in the Humber entrance area, on the poles,” Dihal said.
An additional registration opportunity opened on the day of the event, for students who wanted to attend the event but who were initially told it was full.
The IGNITE office had said that the tickets sold out days earlier and that there was no chance for late registrants to attend the event on that day. That was corrected by one of the employees at the entrance of the event.
Requirements to enter the Hype Hall, listed on IGNITE’s event page included the following:
- The Eventbrite ticket had to be printed or shown on a mobile device;
- Students had to show their Student card, or a government-issued photo identification combined with Humber/UofGH class schedule/timetable;
- And the event was to follow the Humber/University of Guelph-Humber vaccination policy including having a completed Self Assessment and having a Vaccine Passport approved status, with masks and hand sanitizer provided.
However, when entering the event the only requirement was to show a ticket and a student card.
No vaccination or self-assessment check was required at the door, nor there were any mask mandates being enforced or a lot of hand sanitizers available for use.
The guests had access to free food and drink stations, which were managed by a mostly non-masked staff.
“In terms of Covid, not a lot of people are wearing a mask and that’s okay because of the mask mandate but, not a lot of people were following [the requirements],” Nguyen said.