The Division of Student Affairs distributed free pies to 200 students on Nov. 14 in its first “Give Thanks, Get Pie” event, intended to promote gratitude, reflection, and connection through Friendsgiving celebrations among the student body.
“We’re trying to find different ways to meet the kids where they are, and get them to see the power of their human connection with each other, and that they can actually cultivate these events, you know, just themselves,” said Colleen Dallavalle, associate vice president for student engagement and formation.
The event, held in the Vandy Cab Room, allowed registered students to pick up either a pumpkin or an apple pie to share with their friends, roommates, or classmates in a Friendsgiving celebration. To receive a pie, hosts had to register their parties and create between four and eight friends.
“We feel really positive about the impact, especially given that with 200 registered Friendsgivings, we’re able to serve and impact over 1,100 students altogether,” Dallavalle said.
In addition to pies, a variety of other items, such as tote bags and conversation cards, were given out to promote a culture of gratitude and reflection as students get together to celebrate.
The Office of the Dean of Students, Division of Student Affairs, Church in the 21st Century Center, Campus Ministry, and Murray Center for Student Wellness each contributed to the giveaway.
“Everybody that hosts gets a bag, and inside of the bag we have all these materials Campus Ministry made,” Dallavalle said. “We also got this [guide] from the Dean of Students and the Murray Center for Student Wellness, where it gives people some ideas for how they can navigate the holidays a little bit, as well as conversation guides for them.”
The event marks a continuation of Student Affairs’ dedication to fostering a community of conversation and engagement. Last year, students who registered to host debate night watch parties for the 2024 presidential debate received a free pizza and other prizes.
“Last year, we ran a program called ‘Debate Night, Done Right,’” Dallavalle said. “So around the presidential and vice presidential election, we had students register watch parties, like debate night watch parties … we provided them with some civic engagement resources and a conversation guide.”
That event garnered a positive response from students, Dallavalle said, and served as part of the inspiration for the “Give Thanks, Get Pie” event.
“We didn’t know how that was going to land, but we saw a really big response from students saying that they enjoyed being able to be given a conversation prompt, and then being able to cultivate their own space to host those conversations,” Dallavalle said. “And so we thought, ‘How could we repurpose that idea towards values, alignment, and mission core and programming this year?’”
Student Affairs plans to send out a survey to participating hosts on Monday to gauge the success of the initiative, but Dallavalle said the initial student response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We saw that we met capacity within the first three days of us opening the form, which was awesome,” Dallavalle said. “And so based on that, we’re seeing a lot of positive response, so we’ll wait and see how the students respond to this iteration of the program.”
Students have already come to Student Affairs to share what the initiative has meant for them and their friends, according to Meghan Heckleman, a student affairs administrator.
“We’ve had international students talking about how this is their first Thanksgiving opportunity here in the states, which is pretty cool,” said Heckelman, BC ’25. “We’ve had people talking about it, ‘Finally, all my friends are back from abroad, and we can sit together.’ Seeing the smiles when we can do a pie handout has been really special.”
When asked if they would want to do something similar next year, both Dallavalle and Heckelman said they would wait to see how students formally respond, but are thrilled by the initial impact they’ve made.
“We’ll see what the feedback is, of course, but we think it’s a cool model to be able to meet students where they are and pair existing happenings with reflection and formation,” Heckelman said.
