By Sean Callahan, Staff Writer
Beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 13—a half hour before kickoff—APB hosted a campus wide Super Bowl party in the Robert. S. Student Carey Center lounge, in which Superbowl LVI (fifty-six) was livestreamed on a large screen. The Los Angeles Rams hoped for their second super bowl win, while the Cincinnati Bengals hoped for their first ever win.
The SVC catering services brought in and set out food for students to take as they wished. Corn dogs, meatballs, pizza dip, cookies, root beer and lemonade were among some of the refreshments offered. Over 30 students were in line prior to the event’s beginning. By kickoff, the number of new students seeking food or sitting down to watch the game had more than doubled.
Kaylin Welsh, freshman business management major and APB member, explained that APB held a meeting on the first week of winter break to discuss possible future events. This meeting was where Gabrielle Bricker, senior psychology major and APB team leader, conceptualized the Super Bowl party.
“Then the APB team had a training week where we bonded and went into depth on event details,” Welsh said. “That’s when we went to the catering office, and Deanna Wicks, our director, spoke with the office about what foods students might prefer for the event.”
Zoey Baran, freshman history major and APB member, felt that the super bowl party was “a great success” in terms of the amount of food taken and student turnout.
“There were probably around 60 people who came to the party. A lot of people popped in and out of the event, and that was the idea,” Baran said. “Having them sit down, eat and hang out with their friends.”
Austin Slye, sophomore business economics major, originally attended with his roommate for the food. However, when several more friends showed up to eat, he decided to stay past the first quarter of the Super Bowl.
He agreed with Baran’s assessment of the party.
“I thought the turnout and food was great, and that APB did a good job with COVID protocols,” Slye said.
Baran explained that by the end of the party, very little food was left, save for a few cookies, and most students had left by the end of the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a tight 23-20 victory at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.