LSPIRG puts on third ‘Rad Week’

It was hard to ignore the O-Week events that took over Laurier’s campus last week.

The Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG) joined in the festivities with their third annual ‘Rad Week’, a compilation of events designed to equip students with the resources and information to motivate social change.

LSPIRG’s ‘Rad Week’ ran alongside the Orientation Week events organized by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (WLUSU).
Events coordinator for LSPIRG, Evelyn McGowan, explained, “We wanted to provide some sort of week of programming that worked in addition to [WLUSU’s] Orientation Week so not in competition what so ever, but complimentary for students who may have other interests as well. It’s much more socially minded.

“This is the third year now,” said McGowan. “We did the most number of events, the widest variety of events. I think it was definitely one of the most successful years.”

Events included a concert by Canadian folk musician and Waterloo native, Craig Cardiff, a clothing swap and vegan top chef.

There were also informational workshops and lectures on sustainability, anti-oppression, gender injustice and social change.

The Craig Cardiff concert at Maxwell’s music house on Wednesday was one of the most successful events. According to McGowan, approximately 100 students attended the concert.

Concert attendee Rebecca Channer said, “I was so happy because it was all ages and it was free so I was actually allowed to go. It was awesome.”

McGowan explained the ultimate goal of these events was “to introduce students to the idea of social change in a very light setting. To show students that social change doesn’t need to be big actions … little changes actually make a difference”.

LSPIRG is a student-run group designed to encourage students to engage in acts of social change through funding, training and other resources, and the ‘Rad Week’ events were designed to reflect that.

“This year what I wanted to focus on was providing students both tools and the opportunities to engage in social change not just in the Laurier community but also in K-W. Not just telling them this is what needs to be changed but also showing them this is how to go about it,” added McGowan.

After the success of this year’s ‘Rad Week’ McGowan is already looking ahead.

“This is definitely paving the way for a really successful year with LSPRIG,” she said.