The 10th annual Lighting of the Quads, sponsored by the Hopkins Parents Fund, the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Office of the Dean of Student Life, was held Wednesday night on Keyser Quad.
This year’s event was incorporated into the Hopkins Organization for Programming’s (HOP) Winter Wonderland week.
“The leadership [for Lighting of the Quads] has changed a little bit,” SGA Executive President Janice Bonsu said. “[Assistant Director of Student Activities] Janet Kirsch revamped it from what it used to be. It’s getting bigger and bigger. It’s a great testament to how much we’ve grown so far.”
Freshman Class Senator Sarah Zappone said that the SGA has been excitedly planning the event for several weeks.
“It’s not only putting candles,” Zappone said. “It’s always on this quad. The band’s going to be playing. The HOP’s involved. It’s one time where the whole community gets together.”
Each SGA Class Council gave its free gifts to students in their respective classes. Seniors received mugs, juniors received beanies, sophomores received gloves designed for using touch-screen devices and the freshmen class received ornaments.
“I know a new movement has been made to focus on tradition in general,” Zappone said. “It’s awesome that we didn’t even market [the gifts] that much. This is definitely one of the biggest [events]. You don’t even need a large budget.”
Junior Class President Jahan Mirchandani wrote in an email to The News-Letter that he was incredibly pleased with the student turnout.
“The event itself was spectacular, by far the best of the three I have been a part of,” Mirchandani wrote. “We ran out of 200 beanies in two minutes, as over 300 students lined up a full 30 minutes before the event.”
Bonsu said that she feels Lighting of the Quads is a way for the SGA to show appreciation for the school and its students.
“Lighting of the Quads and SGA have been hand-in-hand,” Bonsu said. “It’s really one of the only things that gathers us in one place. In terms of SGA’s gifts, it’s great to give [students] a little something. SGA this year has been amazing.”
Bonsu said that the high turnout at Lighting of the Quads shows that students value University traditions.
“Lighting of the Quads is one of those traditions we share as a family,” she said. “This is a great testament to how student input has shaped a big university’s mission. [The tradition] is getting bigger and bigger, and President Daniels loves it. I just hope it continues to grow.”
In an email to The News-Letter, SGA Executive Secretary Adelaide Morphett echoed Bonsu’s sentiments.
“I know that we continue to put it on for the sake of tradition and the positive feedback we receive from students,” Morphett wrote. “It is consistently recognized as one of the events students most look forward to each year at Hopkins.”
Sophie Tulkoff, co-director of marketing for the HOP, said that her group was able to heavily market the event through social media.
“There [were] more than 2,000 students invited on Facebook,” Tulkoff said. “It definitely generated a lot of views.”
The event also featured performances from three a cappella groups — The Sirens, The AllNighters and Ketzev — as well as a performance from the Pep Band.
Students had the opportunity to sample donuts and Insomnia Cookies, along with hot chocolate and apple cider, at the event.
Students who showed up early participated in a workshop held by the Digital Media Center (DMC), which featured arches of LED-illuminated balloons. Students were invited to learn about the mechanisms of the science and crafts involved.
This was the second year that the DMC participated in the event. Last year, they made LED-illuminated snowflakes.
The entire Lighting of the Quads Ceremony lasted barely an hour, but students lined up as early as half an hour before the festivities started at 9 p.m.
During the lighting ceremony, a group of students carried out a protest against the recent grand jury decisions not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, and Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner in Staten Island.
The protest focused on the racial issues surrounding the deaths of two black men by white officers.
The protesters carried signs with slogans such as “Black Lives Matter” and yelled protest chants including “no justice, no peace” and “hands up, don’t shoot” — a reference to Brown. The two grand jury decisions were released within a week of one another.
The protestors were not associated with any individual student group.
