Sarah Shelton – Features Editor
To start the university’s Day of Caring, on April 13, right on the Buley Library Patio were live owls and students huddled around them and their caretaker.
“The people of a wildlife rehabilitation and education center called A Place Called Hope, specializing in rescue and care for raptors came since Otus, our mascot, is an owl,” environmental studies major Shy Jones, a sophomore, said. “The place came to educate us about the owl. They also brought 3 other types of owls: one was a eastern screech owl, one a barn owl and a barred owl. They taught us students a lot about Owls. I think it was a great event. I heard from multiple people that it was an incredible experience.”
After the owls left, they started to set up a few trucks and tables. A tent with refreshments under it was already up.
Biochemistry major Carlos Calderon, a senior, said he did not know any of the events were happening.
“I just saw it out and I was like, oh, cool and then also there was like that wildlife birds thing and free stuff,” Calderon said. “At first I actually thought it was just going to be the birds.”
Programs Council advertised being a tacos and tie dye event that day, but since it was the university’s Day of Caring, the university decided to celebrate the community with a few tables collecting donations, Otus the owl out ready to take pictures, a video game truck, free tacos, real owls and a live DJ.
“I knew it was going to be the taco truck and the tie dye, but I didn’t realize it was going to be a bunch of the other stuff as well,” chemistry and biology major Alyssa Rolls, a senior, said.
Rolls did not end up getting food, but Calderon said the burrito he got was very good.
“I was walking to class and I saw that someone posted on Snapchat a picture of an owl. So I was like, I have to go see the owl and then I saw free food and now I’m here,” Theater major Sebastian Cordero, a junior, said.
Cordero’s friend, psychology major Jacob Adorno, a junior, said he learned about the event through his girlfriend, but he was mainly there because they had free doughnuts in the University Access Program’s office.
Cordero and Calderon both waited in the line for food, but Rolls and Adorno refused to wait in a line that long. The truck offered a variety of food including tacos, quesadillas, and burritos.
“Don’t ask, I may start crying,” Cordero said when asked about how long he had been waiting in the food truck line.
Members of True Blue Owls, a philanthropy program on campus, were also present at the event. They reported raising $766,398 as of midnight.
