Winter is in the air as the University Activities Commission welcomes students back to the second week of school with its annual Winter Carnival celebration.

Starting from Feb. 7 through the 13, students can enjoy a large array of classic Winter Carnival favorites and newly created events.

Joann Martin, UAC advisor, has put on the Winter Carnival in the past, but with social distancing and restrictions put in place, some changes needed to be made, she said.  

“We were forced to start fresh because we were unable to do any of our usual events (chili feed, dog sledding or Rocky Horror),” Martin said. “But for how cold it’ll be next week, I think the virtual events will be perfect.”

Working alongside Martin is Co-Chairman Retta Isaacson, a fourth-year geology student, who is also adapting to the change. 

“We have had a winter carnival every year since around the 1940s. It has been a tradition almost as long as homecoming,” Isaacson said. “Despite those traditions taking a break this year, we have some exciting stuff planned.” 

Although the events were altered, Martin and Isaacson said there is still much to look forward to and an increased opportunity for student engagement when it comes to the Winter Carnival. 

“This year we definitely had to think outside the box from our normal events but hopefully, that means we can better engage the student population,” Isaacson said.

Events throughout the month

Kicking off the week on Sunday was the winter art contest, where students were able to get crafty and tag the UAC’s Instagram page for a chance to win a prize.

A winner will be selected through student voting starting on Monday and the art piece with the most votes will receive a craft kit. The results of this contest will be announced on Wednesday.  

Next up on Monday, the UAC put up multiple locations around campus where students could visit and collect a Winter Carnival sticker.  

On Tuesday at 7 p.m. students can live stream the performance by comedian Jeff Scheen, who grew up in Northern Michigan and has done comedy acts in multiple comedy festivals throughout his career. This event requires no registration and can be accessed through Zoom with the passcode: 472573.

Moving on to Wednesday is the “Pay It Forward and ‘Snow’ Some Kindness” event. All throughout the day, UAC said they are working to spread lots of kindness and positive vibes to students who encounter notes that will be placed around campus.

Students are encouraged to leave a positive note of their own to continue providing other people with kindness.

Next up in the week, the UAC is partnering with Campus Recreation to give students the opportunity to go snowshoeing from 5 to 7 p.m. Students should dress according to the weather and be ready for a nighttime walk full of safe, distanced social interactions.

If interested in participating, students should meet at the Ropes Course main entrance located on upper campus.

As the end of the week approaches there are two more Winter Carnival events students can participate in. On Friday, UAC will be livestreaming a Singer-Songwriter Slam at 6 p.m. at uwec.ly/live and no event registration is required.

All content comes from UW-Eau Claire’s students and the winning performer will receive a paid cabin performance in the Fall of 2021.

The last event on Saturday is the Group Ex-Athon where students can get active through 15-to-20-minute classes from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants can join in person if registered or online through their Facebook page. 

For more information on the Winter Carnival, check out UAC’s website here. 

Huettner can be contacted at [email protected].