The Green and White Society strikes again! On Tuesday during common hour, the society took over the grassy area outside Rocky’s with white t-shirts, rubber bands and lots of green dye to promote the “Green and White Friday” tradition.
Junior safety management major and Vice President of Traditions Justin Mostoller organized the Traditions Tie Dye event with the help of Green and White Society ambassador Riley Reffner.
“Now students who came can absolutely participate in the ‘Green and White Friday’ tradition because they tie-dyed green and white shirts themselves,” Reffner said.
Reffner, Mostoller and President of Green and White Society Courtney McCartney all agreed that, because of the popularity of tie-dyed shirts and the activity of tie-dying itself, the event was sure to be a success — and after seeing the turnout, they figured they were right.
Within about 20 or 30 minutes of the beginning of the event, the 100 white t-shirts the society bought had all been distributed to excited SRU students, including members of fraternities, artists and even an alumnus.
SRU alumnus Doug Zarnick, who graduated in 2009 with a certificate in physical education, returned to campus to help the Green and White Society with their event and to dye a shirt himself.
“I like coming back to help,” Zarnick said. “I graduated from here, and I always enjoy giving back to what was my community.”
Zarnick said he was never part of the Green and White Society himself when he attended SRU, but he appreciates and admires what they aim to do for the campus.
Current students were just as excited about the dyeing festivities outside the Smith Student Center; sophomore recreational therapy major Alyssa Dosch and junior psychology major Francesca Anthony were among those students.
Anthony said she, like many other students at Slippery Rock, loves tie-dye, and that this event was a really great idea because of that fact.
“It was a really nice day,” Anthony said. “People were willing to sit outside and do something fun.”
Dosch said she saw the commotion while she and her friend were walking to the Smith Student Center, and she was immediately drawn to it.
“I’ve always loved art, and I can’t resist tie-dye,” Dosch said. “I think it was a great opportunity to let out my artistic side.”
Dosch also expressed her love for the “Green and White Friday” tradition; she said that her favorite part of every Friday is walking around campus and getting to see everyone wearing the colors that the SRU community is so immensely proud of.
