Paint Your Space: Students, Staff & Faculty Leave their Mark on Campus
TCSA-organized fundraiser for Trent/WUSC invites Trent community to paint a parking lot and leave a lasting impression
It started with a casual conversation about the upcoming groundbreaking to kick-off construction for the new Trent Student Centre, and ended with the engagement of the Trent community and a brightly painted Bata parking lot, thanks to a unique idea from the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA).
The concept was simple: invite students, alumni, administrative and academic departments, colleges, staff and clubs and groups, to paint their space in the Bata Library parking lot; individuals or groups would register and pay a fee per parking spot, which would cover all paint and painting materials that would be provided on the day of. All extra proceeds, along with funds raised from food sales during the event, would be donated to the Student Refugee Program through the World University Service of Canada organization at Trent.
With the last day of scheduled exams for students set as the date, the TCSA had their fingers crossed that the weather would cooperate – and it did, as enthusiastic participants came together to decorate the parking lot and leave their mark on campus. Teams worked together to clean the parking lot, chalk or stencil images and text, and fill in the spaces with bright colours and creative designs.
"We are so happy that this event was so well received by the Trent community,” said Alaine Spiwak, TCSA president and one of the organizers of the day. “The beautiful artwork that was painted in the parking lot is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of our new Student Centre. We are proud to not only have raised funds for WUSC, but to also have donated a large amount of painting supplies to Habitat for Humanity. "
The painted Bata parking lot will be on display for the community to admire until this Friday, May 13, when there will be an official ground-breaking ceremony in advance of construction on the new Trent Student Centre.