Students smashing pumpkins and roasting s’mores took over South Lawn on the first day of October. 

WKU Housing and Residence Life and Campus Recreation and Wellness put on the second annual Fall on the Hill Wednesday. The event consisted of many fall-themed activities for students to do between classes.

“(Fall on the Hill) is a fantastic way for students to take a break and relieve stress during a busy, often overwhelming part of the semester,” said Kristen Hooks, assistant director for First Year Programs within Housing and Residence Life, who helped organize the event. 

The event was organized through partnerships with all of the WKU colleges, as well as the Mahurin Honors College and Hilltopper Nutrition. Local organizations were also invited to participate, like Texas Roadhouse and the Bowling Green Police Department. Each partner hosted a different activity for students to participate in that tied in with the coming fall season. 

Amber Kae Bowman, a community resource officer with the community engagement unit of BGPD, said that the pumpkin smashing activity helped release stress and aggression for students. 

“I think it’s a pretty open and friendly environment. We’ve had quite a few students come up,” Bowman said. “They’ve already had to leave once and go get a refill…”

The event also had free popcorn and apple cider from Hilltopper Nutrition, pumpkin painting sponsored by the College of Health and Human Services and a fall photo booth with Big Red from the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. 

Kathleen Langley, the assistant director for fitness and wellness at Campus Recreation, said all of the partners for Fall on the Hill work with students in different capacities and wanted a way to bring students together with a creative outlet. 

“We wanted to make sure that we are showing that we’re here for our students, not just an academic way, but also just a way to help them in all their dimensions of wellness,” Langley said. 

As midterms and fall break approach, first-year graduate student Taryn Guyer said it’s important for students to participate in open events like Fall on the Hill. 

“I think it’s really important to remind students that it’s okay to relax and have fun,” said Guyer.