Story by Leah Ash, Culture Editor

Photos courtesy of Leah Ash

Saint Stock returned this year with fervor, making everyone even more excited for the upcoming year. It was held on Wednesday, August 31 on the turf in Sturrus. 

This year marks a return to normalcy, as it’s the first Saint Stock without masks since 2019. As much as everyone strives to feel safe from COVID-19, it was a welcome experience to see everyone’s faces. 

As a whole, Saint Stock is intended to showcase different departments and Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) on campus. There were also some organizations from Grand Rapids as well, all looking to provide opportunities for students to get involved in their community, especially through volunteering.

Tables at the event included Residence Life, AQ Advantage, Catholic Student Fellowship, the Sustainable Market Club, the AQ Writer’s Guild, the AQ Athletic Band, Women’s Rugby, Math Club, the AQ TableTop Games club, Encore and many more (including us, The Saint).

Students were able to take items brought by the clubs, sign up for raffles, participate in activities, and register for as many club emails as they wanted. Freshmen were especially encouraged to branch out and explore the different engagement opportunities, but all variety of students were welcome and present. 

“I liked it a lot better than my freshman year,” said Darrien Roberts, a junior. “It was a lot of fun to see all the clubs and I signed up for a couple, including the TableTop Games club.” 

Roberts was a freshman in the fall of 2020, during the height of COVID and its precautionary measures. As a result, Saint Stock was held outside of Wege with only 10 tables at a time to minimize spread of the virus. Roberts observed that it made it more difficult to see and interact with the clubs on campus. 

“It was really cool to see the entire community together,” said Jaden Benschoter, one of the many freshmen who seemed to especially enjoy the community aspect of Saint Stock.

“It was good to meet new people and engage with more of the community,” said Jaden Declhambre, another AQ freshman.

Saint Stock is a light hearted annual event that many look forward to, and this year was no exception. With lots of tables and organizations present, as well as the number of students who attended, this year is likely to be an engaging experience for the community.