Last Saturday, September 17th, was Lambda Alpha Upsilon’s (LAU) annual Condor BBQ, an event that has been going on since 2011; in previous years it has been a carnival but, due to recent budget issues, this year it became the Condor BBQ.
This change did not prevent the student community from getting together and having some fun and free food. It was an afternoon of relaxing and enjoying the company of friends and fellow U.N.H. students.
“The purpose of the event is to welcome back students and bring together the UNH cultural clubs,” says LAU. “As well as to show the school who LAU is, as we have many alumni come back for this event.”
The event ran from 12-6 p.m. in the Botwinik/Bixler Quad and included music and food as well as featured performances from the various teams at U.N.H. There was also tabling by the event’s co-sponsors, the Elite Step Team, Latin American Student Association, Monsoon Dance Team, Omega Phi Beta Sorority Inc., and Fire Science, with the goal of gaining more exposure and promotion for the diverse clubs.
LAU also welcomed a local Barbershop, “House of Styles”, to promote their new shop and give students a preview of their annual “Lambda Cutz” event that will happen later in October.
There was a great turn out for the event, even with the football game going on throughout the beginning of it. After the football game many hungry U.N.H. students made their way back to main campus and found their way to the Condor BBQ.
“Even though the football game was the same day, around 3 p.m. lots and lots of people began to show up and it made the event go really well,” says LAU. “It started off slow this year but finished off strong.”
The event was geared towards unity in the midst of a less accepting world. Students are encouraged to unify with each other and make the campus community an inclusive one.
“We would like students to really get the sense that all cultural clubs are very close on campus. As well as get the sense that LAU really knows how to bring together the community,” explains LAU.
The event, with the promise of good music, good company, and free food certainly left students feeling unified and strong in their community. This month especially, while Hispanic Heritage History Month is going on, it is important for the U.N.H. community to grow and recognize not only the Hispanic culture, but all of the cultures represented by our student body.
While the goal of the event was to bring students together with the various cultural clubs, LAU also acknowledged the opportunity to show and bring more knowledge of Greek life to the entire campus community.
LAU says, “We feel that this is a major recruitment event for all RSO’s. This also shows that Greek life is more than just college by having many alumni show face each year.”
Overall, the event was very successful in everything it set out to accomplish. Students who attended were welcomed into the relaxed atmosphere.
“The atmosphere was very calm as if it were a summer kickback BBQ,” says LAU.
It was evident that the simple, relaxing atmosphere was successfully uniting the student body.
If any men are interested in joing Lambda Alpha Upsilon they should email [email protected]. Come see them at their Open Informational on September 21!
