Music and laughter filled the grass field outside Young Hall on Oct. 28, when Point Loma Nazarene University’s Loma Outside program partnered with Young Hall to host Young Outside. This event allowed students to bask in the sunshine while vendors were able to share their creative pieces.
The event began at 2 p.m. and lasted until 5 p.m. Students were able to sit and listen to a band led by their fellow students or purchase products from various vendors and artists under tents. These tents were inspired by another PLNU event, the Flex Farmers Market, where students are able to sell their original creations or resell products that they purchase and don’t want anymore. There was also free LaCroix and pizza for the students who attended.
According to second-year graphic design student and Loma Outside Director Gigi Garbarino, the objective of this event was to draw more attention to Loma Outside and prepare students to be on the lookout for the program’s upcoming events. In past years, this event has taken place closer to the start of the year; however, this year it was pushed back until the end of October.
“It is really good publicity for the program,” said Garbarino. “The whole purpose is to mainly introduce the program to new students but also keep it on the forefront of returning students’ minds. Loma Outside is a big thing and we want to remind people that we are going to keep doing stuff throughout the year.”
Although this event was open to all PLNU students to attend, it was located at Young Hall which houses predominantly second and third-year students. This dorm is closest to the water and has more outdoor space than other dorms including a grass field, volleyball net and a basketball court. Garbarino said these qualities all play into it being a great option for the Loma Outside event.
“Having the event at Young makes it fun for me because it’s really accessible for the students down here. All you have to do is walk outside,” said Resident Director of Young Hall Chip Pitkin. “We realize that we have some pretty great space down at Young, so we like to share it with the rest of campus.”
Second-year, applied health science major Brooke Inman enjoyed the weather and live music at the event.
“The music was really fun and that made it a good time to be outside. It was also super nice out during the day,” said Inman. “Everybody was having a good time, happy, and it was a nice break from school.”
Inman also ended up purchasing products from a few of her fellow student vendors.
Under one of the vendor tents were two graphic design students and one visual arts student who collectively sold their custom shirts, prints and stickers for various prices.
“I think it’s cool that there’s an outlet for students to sell work they’ve done because sometimes it can go unnoticed,” said second-year visual arts major Betsy Sonneland. “Walking into people’s rooms and seeing your prints there is really special and it’s cool to be able to share that with people.”
Alhough this event had less foot traffic than the Flex Farmers Market for students wishing to sell their products, they still were able to display their new work and meet new people, all while making some extra money.
“Overall, I made a profit, so that’s always the goal,” said Sonneland.
Garbarino also said that from the feedback she’s received and the amount of people she saw come and go from the event, she believes that it was a successful event.
“Our goal is to be a program that encourages people to have fun while they’re outside, and I think we did just that,” said Garbarino.
The next Loma Outside event and future updates will be posted on their instagram @lomaoutside. More information about the program can also be found on their website at https://lomaoutside.com/landing.
