Welcome back, Gusties! To celebrate the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, the Gustie Greeters would like to formally invite you to the first Saturday Night Live event of the year: the Headphone Disco. This event will be held on Saturday, September 9th from 9 to 11:30 PM in the Lund Forum, located on the main floor of the Lund Center, and you will need your Student ID in order to enter the event.
Also in order to enter the event, you will need to fill out an online waiver form to enter the Lund Arena if you haven’t already done so. This form can be found on the Gustavus Adolphus website by going to the search bar and typing in “Lund waiver form”. You will not be able to scan your ID card and enter the event without filling out the waiver first, so this would need to be filled out before you can do anything.
When you arrive at the event, you will scan your Student ID card and receive a pair of wireless earbuds in exchange. Don’t worry, you’ll get your ID back at the end of the event. These headphones are wired to two unique music channels, both of which are run by student DJs from the Gustie Greeters – Ashley Barker and Erika Heinrichs, both members of the class of ‘25. Once inside, all you have to do is turn your headphones on, switch to the channel you like, and start dancing! There will also be free Domino’s pizza provided at the event for late-night snacking.
Saturday Night Live events on campus are hosted by a rotating coalition of student organizations on campus, including, but not limited to, the Campus Activities Board, the Peer Assistants, and the longtime hosts of the Headphone Disco, the Gustie Greeters. For all of our new students, the Gustie Greeters are those folks dressed in yellow who cheered you on as you moved in and walked you through your new student orientation. There will also be another SNL event hosted by the Gustie Greeters in the spring, so keep your eyes peeled for more information on that later in the school year.
The Gustie Greeters are a group of student leaders who are responsible for new-student orientation and first-year adjustment. They also assist in student engagement on campus, helping you to find new clubs and student organizations to get involved with, as well as hosting events such as the Headphone Disco. They’re also the folks who run the Gustie Den, which is located downstairs in the Jackson Campus Center across from the Courtyard Cafe and is open every week Monday through Thursday from 6 to 8 PM. For those interested in becoming a Gustie Greeter, applications to join the team will open again in February, and all are encouraged to apply!
“The Gustie Greeters are a group of student leaders that help out with orientation and the adjustment of first-year students into the Gustavus community,” said Gustie Greeter Henry Noma ‘25. “We also serve as Student Involvement Specialists, which help connect students to various other organizations on campus – Greek Life, student orgs, clubs and intramural sports, student leader positions, and all sorts of other stuff.”
“Being a Gustie Greeter is all about helping our new students acclimate to life at Gustavus,” said Gustie Greeter Abby McCready ‘25. “Our job is to make sure that we present a friendly, welcoming environment and really foster a sense of community for our new students. College can be scary for a lot of people, and the more reassurance and support we can provide for our new Gusties, the better that transition will be and the more welcome they’ll feel on campus.”
The Headphone Disco, along with all of the other events hosted by various student organizations, throughout the school year, provide countless opportunities for students of all backgrounds to meet and interact with their peers, be they fellow students, staff, or faculty members. They also provide a safe, healthy space for socialization, as well as being extremely diverse in nature and offering countless opportunities for students both new and returning to get out, get involved, and have fun on campus.
“The Headphone Disco is always the first SNL event of the year, and it’s our highest-attended event overall”, McCready said. “It’s our big welcome-back event, and it’s a really great opportunity for new students to get out and connect with the Gustavus community. It’s low-stakes, there’s free food, you get to meet a bunch of people and dance with your friends – what’s not to love?”