This is the first year the UAB has hosted the Rock & Roll Giveaway event. Senior UAB Chairperson Emma Bluntzer explained how these specific giveaway events are meant to help students have a good start to their week by filling it with good energy. 

“All of our coordinators put on giveaway days, which focus on doing something fun for the students on campus,” Bluntzer said. 

Though these small events might seem simple, they do give students opportunities to connect with the campus and fellow Spartans.

Sophomore Calleigh McMilan also saw this event on Instagram and, intrigued mainly by the snacks and crystals, sent it to sophomore Nina Gunel, suggesting they go together. The two regularly attend many of the UAB events.

“I would say go to them all because there's no catch,” McMilan said. “You literally just get free stuff and fun activities.”

The free treats often attract attention from students, but the community and the social interactions are what these events are meant to bring. These pop-up events are seen to benefit underclassmen. Malin recalled the first time she went to a UAB pop-up. 

“My first week, freshman year, one of my friends dragged me to one of these [UAB events],” Malin said. “We just started talking to the people around us and then got their Instagrams.”

Now, Malin sees these events as a way to meet new people and views them more like club meetings. Though not every event gives out free items, it allows students to come together and meet each other.

“It gets them out there because usually the lines are really long,” Malin said. “You'll start talking to people around you while you're waiting.”

UAB plans giveaway days around what students might enjoy, such as the Zeke the Wonderdog events they host. However, these activities take planning from UAB’s different expertise positions. Some of the community focuses on outreach and inclusion while the marketing team focuses on their pop-ups, like “Lucky to be a Spartan.”

For this specific event, Bluntzer estimated around 120 students would be involved, while their other events reached up to 200–300 Spartans. A major factor is how much of their budget they are able to put into these events. 

“We're fortunate to have one of our full-time staff members who focuses a lot on fundraising,” Bluntzer said. “A lot of the money we have comes from [poster sales and the winter and spring craft shows], as well as different departments or different opportunities around campus, tabling events, the union, as well as just licensing.”

Like other students, Bluntzer also attended UAB events when she was in her first year at MSU. She then joined the board as a member to get volunteer hours. Since her sophomore year, she has moved from a desk receptionist to graphics and now to her current position, chairperson.

“My parents urged me to kind of seek [UAB events] out, and so I found UAB through Sparticipation, and they told me to come to their first member meeting. Those happened on Mondays at 5 p.m. I showed up there, and I liked everyone.”

What starts out as a free cinnamon roll and a crystal to start your morning can turn into talking to new people, getting their Instagrams and growing into the campus community. 

“It's inclusive,” Gunel said. “If people are going, they probably want the same things as you, so you can just feel seen and relatable.”