UW Oshkosh SEAC to host Free School event

Megan Behnke, Reporter

The UW Oshkosh Student Environmental Action Coalition will host a Free School Event on Saturday, March 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the third floor of Sage Hall.

Free School includes workshops, skillshops and lectures that revolve around environmental, economic and social sustainability.

SEAC President Samantha Sprenger said Free School is a day of free learning for the campus and community.

“At 5:00 p.m., we will have a celebration of community learning, meaning we’ll invite everyone to stay, have a cookie and talk about what they learned about and what their favorite things were,” she said.

UWO philosophy major and SEAC member Melanie Zens said it’s important that people learn about environmental, economic and social sustainability because there’s more carbon in the environment than ever.

“Anything that we can do, even on a very small scale or very small changes that we can make added together, that’s going to make a huge impact,” Zens said.

Sprenger said this is the fifth Free School Event at UWO and SEAC is hoping to keep the annual tradition going for years to come.

“In the past, we’ve had around 200 participants throughout the day, and we’re always hoping to reach more people,” Sprenger said. “Historically, our student turnout has not been as high as the turnout of community members, so we’re really hoping to increase the number of students that attend this year.”

Sprenger said everyone needs to register at the registration table upon arrival. After registering, participants can choose between different workshops and classes without having to register for specific ones.

“Some classes do have limits on the number of participants they can accommodate due to the materials necessary for certain classes; those classes will be first come, first serve,” Sprenger said. “Many of our classes have multiple sessions throughout the day, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t make it the first time.”

The event will also have a “Swap Spot” feature, where people can bring household items and take what they need.

Sprenger said the Swap Spot will be a room dedicated to people bringing and taking old and new treasures.

“There will not necessarily be anybody assigned to stay in the room, but people can feel free to hang out in there and talk or trade as they please,” Sprenger said.

To learn more about Free School, you can find the event on Facebook at UWO Free School or visit the event’s website: sites.google.com/uwosh.edu/uwoshkoshfreeschool.