Years ago, Texas A&M began a tradition that has become a part of their college life and has increased in participation with each year. It is a one-day event when students and faculty members of the University go out into the town and show their appreciation to the town for providing them a place to safely receive an education.
In 2003, Auburn University Student Government Association held the first Big Event in this locality and this year’s event is scheduled for March 23. The event is growing each year and the town is getting the advantage of free labor. There is no charge for the services performed and the only qualification is that the job site is in this locality and can be individual, business, church, school or other organization.
This is a one-day affair and is held during the hours of 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Workers are able to perform a variety of duties which include but are not limited to exterior work, interior work and painting. All tools required are provided by the workers.
Interior work includes such things as cleaning, sweeping, window washing, painting and other.
Exterior work also includes painting, hedge trimming, digging, fertilizing, weeding, and other
Paint for most exterior jobs will be furnished; no interior paint can be furnished.
Yard work is a popular request and rakes, clippers, and shovels are supplied by the workers. Digging and planting may be available.
This annual program has become very popular since its inception in 2003 here with Auburn University. It is an opportunity to get some of that much needed yard work to be done while working with the students.
In the old days, students roomed in the homes in the area. There were no huge apartment complexes as we now have. It was not unusual for a child of a former roomer to end up living with the same family many years later. There was a closeness among town and gown that is hard to maintain when there is little contact.
Not only is the SGA sponsoring a worthwhile civic project by promoting The Big Event, it is a means of bringing students closer to the town people. It is unfortunate that the bond that once existed in this area between the students and the townspeople is not as strong as it once was and one of the main reasons is that students rarely live in private homes now so there is not that personal contact as it was then.
After your request for a job site is accepted, you will be contacted and someone will be assigned to your project or projects and will come to evaluate the job site and determine if your request can be handled. After your project is approved, this person will remain in charge of seeing that the personnel and all the tools are available to complete your work.
The work offered free by workers of the Big Event can be put to good use in this day of limited budgets and even more limited budgets anticipated. It is an excellent means of working town and gown together for better understanding and respect.
There may be some limitation as to how far workers can travel, but contact the SGA for those details.
The requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you make your request now, you should be able to get it in before the deadline.
Go to www.aubigevent.com, click on “Community Residents” tab on left, the link to a Jobsite Request is found on this page. Requests must be received before March 5.
Bita Bullet is the pen name of a local anonymous writer who can be reached at opelikaobserver@att.net