L/L program fair brings in a crowd

Students who wish they could live in the world of Harry Potter can now get a little closer to their dream.

New L/L program Hogwarts House for Muggles is one of the many new options for students to call home this next fall, sophomore program director Hilarie Santiago said at this year’s L/L program fair.

“We compare the Harry Potter paradigm of the Wizarding world to the real world,” Santiago said as passers-by engaged in wizarding duels.

The Fireplace Lounge was packed March 4 as programs, old and new, tried to recruit new members.

“This fair has gotten bigger and crazier than ever this year,” Mon!que Wright, L/L leadership coordinator, said.

Students scrambled for tie-dye and neon cupcakes at the table for the new program, Cakes With a Cause.

“We are giving cakes to needy families as well as learning to bake alternative cakes like vegan and diabetic,” freshman program director Annie Wright said.

Wright’s co-program director, freshman Erin Anna Smith said the process of getting their program approved was difficult.

“It was a lot of work to design the program but it is definitely worth it once you get your program, because you make it into just what you want,” Smith said.

Sophomore Hannah Brosnan, program director for the new Theatre Suite, agreed.
“We started this program because there wasn’t one. We are both theatre majors and we didn’t know why there hadn’t been one before,” Brosnan said.

“These programs are all so different,” Wright said.

Another new program is Neighborhood Relations: Uniting the Communities, proposed by freshman Mackey Landy.

“It is all about getting students more involved in the Burlington communities,” Landy said.
Active Minds: Destigmatizing Mental Health,  the Arabic House and the House of Cards and Magic are also new, bringing new programs to a total of 7 out of 44, according to the L/L website.

“There are so many great programs,” freshman Danielle Couture said. “It is too bad that you can’t be in more than one.”