The Whole Story

Some students celebrate Thanksgiving on campus

What I did to get this story: I interviewed Jennifer Weninger, a senior English major. Weninger is not able to go home and so she told me how she was going to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. I also asked the Student Life department if there were any type of volunteer opportunities available for students to participate in if they were not going home for the break. I also received information from the International Programs department.

Thanksgiving is almost here. Some students will be packing up and heading home to celebrate the holiday in the traditional way with family, friends, turkey and football. However, not all students are able to go home because of work, money or the distance. However, there are still ways to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, even if it is not in the most conventional way.

Jennifer Weninger, a senior English major, is staying at school for the very first time this Thanksgiving break. Weninger works at Kohl’s department store and is scheduled to work the day before and after Thanksgiving. Her family is all getting together in Sumter, S.C., to celebrate the holiday. Weninger said that it is about a 6-8 hour drive to her family’s house in South Carolina and so she does not want to make that long of a trip for only one day.

“I’m a bit sad about it, but I have several friends who will also be here because of their jobs so I won’t be alone,” Weninger said.

Weninger also said that staying at school this year for Thanksgiving break will allow her to finish all of the papers she has due the last week of classes.

Weninger plans to invite friends to her apartment and cook a Thanksgiving dinner for them. She said that it will mainly be a traditional dinner with all the standard side dishes, but instead of turkey, Weninger plans on cooking chicken.

If students cannot make it home for Thanksgiving, it is still possible to have a fun holiday whether it is traditional or not. Here are some tips to hosting a great Thanksgiving dinner while staying at school from the article, “How to host Thanksgiving in Your Dorm Room,” on the associated content Web site, www.associatedcontent.com:

1. Plan ahead. Find other students, who are also not going home for the holiday and make plans to celebrate together.

2. Assign different food items such as mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and pies to each student. This will divide the cost of the meal up between all of the students and will make sure there is enough food for everyone.

3. You can buy a pre-cooked turkey at a grocery store and this can be the assigned food item for a couple of different students so that it is not too expensive for just one person to purchase.

4. Plan activities such as playing football or board games after dinner. This will help everyone have fun and enjoy the day even though they were not able to go home.

There are also some other activities that will be available to students who are not able to leave campus this Thanksgiving.

The Baptist Collegiate Ministries is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for International students on Sunday at 7 p.m. The BCM needs to know who is coming and so students should let them know by Friday. All students are welcome and should call the BCM at 229-242-2071 for more information.

Also, the Sons of Solomon #151 and the Electra Chapter #323 will be hosting “A Day Of Caring, Sharing And Giving.” These groups are offering a free meal and haircuts and the Salvation Army will be providing clean clothing to people in need. Volunteers are needed and there will be free transportation. For more information students may call Eddie Koonce at 229-269-1186 or Barbara Wilson at 229-588-0740.