With this year being back in person, everyone went bananas. This year, Tellez was able to make it to the event with his kids to show them the impact he has had on this campus, although he said, “I think they might be embarrassed to be with me today.” Nevertheless, it was wonderful seeing the founder of this special day enjoying himself and seeing what Banana Day has turned into.īecause of COVID-19, the event for the past two years has been virtual to keep everyone safe. Years ago, then-student Rodolfo Tellez handed out over 3,000 bananas to his fellow students as a way to de-stress before finals week. This tradition started in 1996 and has been a favorite of students for 26 years.
#BANANA DAY WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY 2022 FULL#
On April 20, Banana Day was in full swing all throughout the campus until 3 p.m. This year’s t-shirt design is a lavender color, with a sheep that says “baaaa-nanas!” Student organizations can sponsor the event, but it is run by the Student Activities Council.Īlexis Lincoln is a fourth-year student majoring in English writing and minoring in journalism.This past Wednesday, the return of the best holiday happened at West Chester University. The t-shirt designs are kept secret each year, and are only revealed once the Banana Day games begin. Students must win one of the games in order to win a t-shirt. Most of the games are banana-themed, such as the banana toss. Games are held at the residential quad, the academic quad and at Sykes. Since then, the yearly event has taken off. It was founded by a student named Rudy Tellez who wanted to promote West Chester school spirit by handing out thousands of bananas. Julia Otto enjoyed the band, stating, “The drums were jammin’! It was a super cool vibe for Banana Day.” The West Chester University symphony orchestra also played around 5 P.M.īanana Day started in 1996. A steel drum band was in the academic quad, playing variations on different latin and jazz songs. With every t-shirt given out, a note was included, reminding students to compost.
#BANANA DAY WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY 2022 FREE#
On the academic quad, students gave out free bananas.īecause of all the free bananas handed out, the Sustainability Advisory Council promoted compost bins on both the North and South campuses. On the residential quad, students were served strawberry banana smoothies. Sykes served a variety of free banana-themed food, including banana Nutella crepes, banana oatmeal bake and banana french toast. This “guilt-free dessert truck” gave out free ice cream and free toppings outside of Sykes all morning. The Chilly Banana food truck came to campus serving banana ice cream. Then, I sat on the academic quad and watched people play games.”Ĭole Hepburn, a sophomore, wore a banana suit all day - even to class and to his desk shift in Schmidt Hall. I ate banana french toast, banana and chocolate crepes, and banana oatmeal bake. Sarah Witalec, junior: “I won a t-shirt in Sykes from playing water pong. I just wish I got to try the vegan ice cream!” I won it in the water pong game, surprisingly. Julia Otto, junior: “This is my third year participating and my third year winning a t-shirt. In my high school we had a visit from West Chester and she told me about Banana Day, and I thought it sounded really interesting.” Then, we walked around and hung out with a guy dressed in a banana suit. My friend and I played trivia at Sykes to win t-shirts. Overall, I had a great time with my friends!”Īndres Penaloza, freshman: “This was my first Banana Day at West Chester. The only negative part was that all the lines were really long for everything, but I was jamming to ‘Old Town Road’ at the WCUR station while I was waiting. Katie Peltier, sophomore: “I had so much fun at Banana Day! I enjoyed the cup pong game at Sykes, and I got banana ice cream at the food truck for free. Many students came after class to enjoy the nice weather, banana themed events and food. On April 17, West Chester University hosted its annual Banana Day.