Giant wooden blocks fell to the ground and a couple of students yelled, “Jenga!”

Simultaneously across Eastern’s campus mall, another group of students were intently concentrating on their enlarged black and white chess board while a group next to them were prancing on the giant checkers set.

Kelli Jones was playing a game of Connect 4.

After playing the game, she learned that Oct. 4 was National Student Day and that EWU was taking part in the event for the first time.

Jones said it was a good way to get students together.

“We want to showcase the students,” Lynne Grytdal, marketing coordinator for the University Bookstore, said. “You always hear about the athletes, this is to showcase the other students.”
The event was brought to the attention of the marketing group of the bookstore and was agreed upon, according to Grytdal.

In addition to the giant-sized board games, the bookstore booth allowed students to write down their achievements to be announced via open mic as well as a photo booth, where props were set up for students to get their pictures taken.

This is the first year Eastern has participated in celebrating National Student Day. This is the second year for the event to exist on a national level, according to Grytdal.

The National Student Day website says the day is about celebrating and promoting social responsibility by college students across North America.

It showcases schools across the United States and Canada and their students’ stories.
Those stories are then entered in a contest where people can vote for the best story.

As of 2012, 1,550 colleges have participated in National Student Day.

Grytdal said the music helped bring people out to the campus mall.

“The campus police arrived and started doing engravings for students,” she said.
Samantha Eickstadt and Peyton Foucht were two students who played the giant checkers.

Eickstadt said she did not know what was going on.

When she learned about the event she said, “we should do more stuff like this,” and that it lets students who are not involved with specific groups have fun.

“It makes me feel like a winner,” said Eickstadt.

The goal for next year is to “start planning early and get more groups involved,” said Grytdal.

She also said it would be nice to find Eastern’s niche and what ties into Eastern’s uniqueness.

“We have our students and then there’s the red turf; what can Eastern do that’s different,” she said.