RAFT Week welcomes students and employees back to campus

RAFT Week, or Reunion and Family Traditions Week, is a fall showcase of CSUMB’s homecoming week, welcoming students, faculty and staff back to campus.

Last year all the RAFT Week events were virtual and remote, including a “quarantine karaoke” and a virtual 5k/10k run.

This year its events span Oct. 11-17 and represent a true coming back home to campus.

"Homecoming has special meaning this year with RAFT Week returning in-person,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Leslie Williams. “RAFT Week is a great way to welcome students, alumni, and employees back both live and virtually to celebrate our Otter traditions."

With most events happening in-person, that hybrid model follows suit with the transitional nature of this fall semester.

The very first event is the Bike to Breakfast in which the first 100 students who bike to campus will get a free breakfast wrap while the first 10 will also get a sustainable gift bag, courtesy of Basic Needs and Transportation Resources. It runs 8 - 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 11, at the Otter Student Union in front of Starbucks.

You’ll need that fuel for the next event, the Scavenger Hunt, in which participants look for a list of items on campus and return them to the Associated Students Office in the Otter Student Union for a chance to win prizes including a portable speaker. It begins Oct. 11 at noon and runs through Thursday, Oct. 14, at noon.

The Raft Week events continue throughout the week with events like SKILLS: Building Strong Relations (12 - 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13) is a peer discussion forum addressing “current topics in everyday life”; while the Werk Witch Drag Show (7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16) is an intersectional drag show that celebrates history and culture.

One of the signature events is the combination of the Employee Appreciation volleyball game, appointed with snack bags and t-shirts giveaways (4:30 - 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14), which segues right into the MB Madness basketball competition which invites students, staff and faculty to play alongside CSUMB athletes (6:30 p.m.), both at the Otter Sports Center.

See more details at the RAFT Week web page.