Elizabethtown College English Department

The English department holds an annual picnic for English majors and faculty in Fall semester.  Students and faculty meet and chat over food in a casual environment, temporarily relaxing together outside of the classroom.

First-Year Experience

First-year students have the opportunity to be paired with an upperclassman student in their concentration. A mentor will meet with their first-year student prior to the picnic and get to know them, then escort them to the Raffensperger Alumni House, where the picnic is held.

Sophomore Lizzy Hendershot felt the mentoring experience was helpful to her as a first-year student. “I think it was good because I got to sit down and talk to someone who had been through the process,” she said.

Food and Conversation

The picnic is catered by Elizabethtown College’s catering service. Those without meal plans are invited as guests of the department.  Following dinner, there is an assortment of dessert options.

“The English Department picnic is a fantastic way for all of us to come together and interact with each other before the year gets too stressful,” said senior Skye McDonald, who has attended the picnic for the last four years. “The professors in our department are really down-to-earth, and they treat us like equals when we’re there. I like that I’m able to sit down with them and eat a solid meal, not worrying about my grades in their classes.”

Annual Arrangements

Professors are usually spread amongst tables, so each group of students is able to speak with them about a variety of topics like department opportunities, class materials, future career plans, or the upcoming soccer game against Messiah College.

“It’s beneficial [for students] to attend the picnic,” said Hendershot. “I think it’s nice because we get to know the professors.”

The Alumni House has a patio area out back where the picnic is held.  In past years, some of the more musical professors have played live music for students following dinner.

“It’s hands-down my favorite part of the department,” McDonald said. “If only I could attend next year after graduation!”

Author Bio:

Samantha Kick is a senior English Professional Writing major with a theatre minor.  She has previously written for the Etownian and E-town NOW. She has many notebooks from high school filled with written ramblings instead of notes, which may one day become novels. In the meantime, she writes a variety of things from research papers to grocery lists.  Her plans for the future involve a pen, paper and the oxford comma.

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