Fullerton College’s Associated Students hosted their third annual Quadchella event with performances, complimentary snacks and refreshments in the quad on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The evening kicked off when A.S. President Taylor Gaetje welcomed all students and faculty to the annual event with an open mic opportunity.
“We want to welcome the new students and returning students back because we don’t want Fullerton to feel like a campus where students just go to class and then go home. We want them to feel like there are activities to do within the campus,” said Gaetje.
As students walked from class to class, they began to notice music resonating through the quad, and most stayed to interact and enjoy the atmosphere of the event.
Fullerton college student Frank Cope, who was the first to perform for open mic, set the mood for Quadchella bringing in original music of his own and intertwining it with songs from Ed Sheeran and other artists.
“It was amazing, to be able to set the bar, and I like that I was being challenged,” Cope said. “It was cool to see students walk around to stop and question ‘what is this guy doing up there?’ and having them actually enjoy the music. I love being a nice surprise, it was fun.”
When asked about the process and what it took to put out an event like this, Gaetje explained that it was no easy run. They began planning by the end of the spring semester and the beginning of summer, having weekly meetings for a period of six weeks.
A.S. undertook the tasks of auditions for performances, discussions of how they would lay out the quad, where the stage would be set and the food options to be offered to students.
As more students buzzed their way through the quad, the sounds of melodies and harmonies being performed and the smell of pizza drew students in.
“At first the atmosphere in the beginning seemed a little gloomy but after a while, once the music started, a lot more students started coming in,” said Connor Garzon, a history major. “It was wonderful to see people not just only from different ages but different ethnicities connecting with each other.”
The evening was accompanied not only by spontaneous open mic performers but with sets by Jet Pack and the Wright Brothers, Ramona Drive and Frequency Within.
To wrap up another succesful Quadchella event, Gaetje ended by saying “I want students to know that there are ways to get involved in campus whether its through clubs or performing at Quadchella and also that there are different activities that go on at school not just class.”