Princeton hosted its third annual Community Care Day on Friday, Oct. 24, offering a day of recreational, wellness, and educational activities across campus to support student well-being. The event was planned by the Office of the Vice President for Student Life and the Graduate School.
In an Oct. 10 email to all undergraduates, the Community Care Day implementation team wrote that the event “is not a one-day solution but rather a way to put a point of focus on rejuvenation, reflection, and camaraderie.” They encouraged students to integrate mindfulness into their everyday routine moving forward.
Events ran from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and featured activities such as a Princeton cinematic guided tour, a DIY energy ball making session, pickleball, and a campus gratitude station. Campus offices and groups collaborated to run the stations, including Campus Recreation’s “Rec Break: Pickleball, Smoothies, Yoga, Lawn Games & more,” the Office of Religious Life’s “Cookies and Community,” and Counseling and Psychological Services’ “Freetalk Friday at CPS.”
From 4 to 6 p.m., Cannon Green hosted a Community Event with food trucks and autumn decorations. Students received two food truck tickets with their PUID, resulting in long lines and scattered crowds.
Student attendees said the free food was a major draw to the event.
“I came to hang out with some friends and get some free food,” said Joshua Namkoong ’29. He added that the day “gives students a break from academics and the space to foster community.”
Jack Kelly ’27 shared a similar view. “With events like this, I think it shows [the University cares],” he said.
“Bringing everyone together is really important,” Kendall Olszowka ’26 said. “Even if it is food-motivated, it still is a good excuse to get to see people.”
Although the event lasted for just one day, the planning process began in May. The Community Care Day think tank, composed of graduate students, undergraduate students, staff, and faculty, collected feedback from prior years, while the implementation team, consisting of four people, coordinated with campus partners.
Maria Lauron-Ramos, a Campus Rec coordinator and member of both the implementation team and the think tank, explained in an interview with The Daily Princetonian that she volunteered to help because she believed strongly in the event’s mission.
“I think care looks different for everyone,” Lauron-Ramos said. “I think sometimes we get hyperfocused on the individual, and that can be very lonely.” She added that the event served as “a reminder that you don’t have to do things alone.”
Amari Tankard GS, a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Molecular Biology and president of the Graduate Student Government Executive Committee, has been a contributor to Community Care Day since its launch in 2023. Community Care Day, she said, is about “how you can integrate wellness into your everyday reality,” adding that she “really [believes] in advocating for student needs — especially mental health needs on campus.”
Namkoong expressed that events like Community Care Day, alongside his zee group student breaks, made it “evident” that the University cared for students.
Gus Vogel is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Brookline, Mass. and can be reached at gv6325[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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