If you’re new to Pace University, chances are your top three big goals for the first week of school are as follows:

• Dodge the 15 Beekman Cafe for as long as humanly possible,
• Figure out where your classes are,
• And make some new friends!

Well, the Honors Advisory Board made a huge and impactful effort in helping students achieve two of these three goals on Friday, September 6th. The Honors Advisory Board hosted our first event of the season, the second annual Speed Friending event: Banter & Banners.

Taking place in an Honors Lounge that was quite unlike any Honors Lounge we’ve seen before, the Banter & Banners themed decor transported patrons to a faraway, fantastical land… Coney Island. Equipped with Coney Island maps that doubled as speed-friending question sheets and summer-themed coloring sheets with contact lists for all the new friends students would be making, this event was set to make new connections among Honors students.

You may be asking, where do the “Banners” come in? We have “Banter” covered with the speed-friending connections, but that is not the full picture. Pasted along the walls of the conference rooms were banners representing each of the four graduating classes. Students were encouraged to leave their future selves notes, with the incentive that these banners would be brought to their graduation ceremonies. These banners are still up in the Honors Lounge, so be sure to sign them before they are put away!

Now, I know I mentioned that this event checked two things off of the three big goals list…so what was the second one? Seeing as this was a Coney Island themed event, the Honors Lounge was decorated for that—including the food stands! Students were able to enjoy free pizza, soda, gluten-free popcorn, and ice cream sundaes. Honors Advisory Board PM Allison Lee ran a fast-paced ice cream sundae stand at the front of the room. Students could request their flavors and toppings, and Allison made them in the fashion of “Papa’s Freezeria” in the comfort of her ice cream themed section of the room.

Right next to this ice cream station was a DIY ice cream temporary tattoo station. Students were given a choice from the selection of adorable and colorful temporary tattoos, and all they had to do was just add water!

The Honors events this month are committed to helping forge connections between new and seasoned Honors students. Banter & Banners was just the jumping off point for a semester chock-full of making new friendships, leaving legacies, and making memories.