REXBURG – Do you drive too slow, or chew your food too loudly? These quirky characteristics and other ‘toxic traits’ on campus will be celebrated as the theme of BYU–Idaho’s First Friday event at the Hart Auditorium.
“We’re doing red flags or ‘my toxic trait … We’re encouraging people to wear red and then display their toxic trait. Disclaimer—we want everyone to be kind, this is meant to be a funny thing,” BYU – Idaho’s Campus Life Event Coordinator, Abby Kottkey, says.
That was Abby Kottkey, the event coordinator for Campus Life activities at BYU-Idaho. She suggests that having a theme enhances the energy and participation at these types of events.
“We’ve found that people really love dressing up and having some kind of dress code,” Kottkey says.
First Friday is one of the first activities of each semester. Tonight, students are gearing up for a night of showcasing their character flaws in a charismatic and sarcastic way, along with dancing, fun, and food.
“Just like in the title, it’s the first Friday, it’s the chance for students to celebrate surviving their first week of school. We get a professional DJ. He’s awesome… It’s just like a big party,” Kottkey says.
Kottkey says every semester’s planners try to mix up First Friday’s offerings. The activities depend on the size of the semester and the student population.
“We’ve been trying to change it up so it’s not just a repeat of I-Night. We have I-Night every semester and First Friday, and we’re trying not to have the same event a week apart,” Kottkey says.
“We’ve gotten feedback from students that they like having just a social atmosphere where they can come and do their own thing,” Kottkey says.
Campus Life offers something for students to be engaged in weekly, and there is plenty to look forward to this semester. Kottkey says there will be new activities like a Midnight Breakfast and a Mr. BYU-Idaho pageant, potentially.
“We do a ton every semester. We have weekly events that happen every night throughout the semester,” Kottkey says. “There’s a lot going on for this semester, we have Date Night of course,e that’s become a really popular event. I’m really excited, we have some new things for this semester that I’m excited for people to see, and a few other new events that we’re trying to get up and running."
To attend First Friday, register at byui.evenue.net or follow campus life events on Instagram.