More than 200 St. Thomas students, staff and faculty teamed up with St. Thomas Public Safety officers to form 26 teams in the first ever Dodgeball Tournament with Public Safety and Undergraduate Student Government on Saturday.
Undergraduate Student Government put on the tournament as a community-building activity on campus, particularly between Public Safety and students. Vice President of USG, senior Chad Berg, said he started the Public Safety and Student Government Committee because he has noticed a lack of trust between students and Public Safety this year.
“(USG) felt that the number one issue facing students and their interaction with Public Safety was essentially trust,” Berg said. “That worried us because if a student ever has a problem or needs assistance, we want them to feel comfortable approaching Public Safety.”
For that reason, Berg and the rest of USG thought the tournament would help build a sense of mutual trust.
Public Safety officer Bryce Gloppen was thrilled to hear about this event and said many other officers and staff members were excited to help as well.
“It’s a great way for us to interact with students in a way that we don’t normally get to, especially on-campus resident students,” Gloppen said.
Students showed up in athletic gear, some even in costume, ready to play. Caruso’s Crew, a group well-known for leading cheers at St. Thomas football games, were among those who turned out.
“We’re just here to have fun and play some dodgeball today,” James “The Boss” Downey, leader of Caruso’s Crew, said. “Getting the chance to meet and play with a Public Safety officer is great too.”
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams also formed a team for the tournament. Nicole Herrli and Emily Thurow both participated, and Thurow said getting to interact with Public Safety in a fun way helps build trust.
“We think it’s so cool that Public Safety is getting involved with the students,” Thurow said. “They’re really friendly, and it’s a great way to get to know them.”
Other familiar faces were involved in the event. St. Thomas faculty and staff members volunteered as officials for the tournament. Rev. Patrick Tobin, sporting his Clerical clothing and an “I love the Pope” hat, thought the tournament was a great idea.
“This is so much fun,” Tobin said. “You get to go back to your childhood, and yet, it’s not nearly as traumatic.”
“This is Why We Run,” a team including members of the men’s and women’s cross country and track teams, were named tournament champions. Freshman Taylor Voit thought the tournament did a great job of making Public Safety seem more approachable.
“It really shed a good light on Public Safety and let us see how nice the guys really are,” Voit said. “They were just in their street clothes interacting with us like normal people.”
Berg hopes if people are happy with the tournament it could become an annual event.
“I know Public Safety and the USG are excited that this could turn into something that we do every year,” Berg said. “If the students like it and want it again, it’s definitely a possibility.”
Voit thinks with increased advertising, the tournament could be even more successful than it was this year.
“It was a blast this year, and I could tell everyone had a good time. I think if the word gets out more next year with the help of students who were involved this year, it could become way bigger,” Voit said.
Tobin thinks it’s a great idea and builds a sense of community among the entire campus.
“We’ve got everything from seminarians to athletes to public safety officers to professors,” Tobin said. “We’ve got the whole campus here today, and it’s great.”
Lauren Andrego can be reached at andr0090@stthomas.edu.