January 24, 2024 marked a monumental moment for our school spirit with the unveiling of “The Pond.” The Pond refers to the student section in the Canavan Arena denoted by the placement of the large banner. After incurring several setbacks and difficulties in the process, the Student Government Association (SGA) held the ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. which was followed by the first Men’s Basketball home game of the year. The ribbon cutting ceremony was done by Becca Los, the Campus Wellness Committee Chair of the SGA, and Alexander Stanczak, the former Vice President of Operations of the SGA. Many students came donning Stevens red in support of the reveal and the game that followed. The Stute had the opportunity to interview Los and Stanczak regarding the work they did to make “The Pond” happen.
When asked about the thought process behind The Pond, Los explained how it was Matthew Samanoglu, a former Senator on the Campus Wellness Committee who thought it would be a good idea to have something to represent the student section in the Canavan. This became the starting point of almost a year-long project according to Los. “I found the first email regarding this idea to be February 24, 2023,” Los stated. When asked why it was called “The Pond,” Los and Stanczak each had their own interpretations. Los liked to think of it as ducks residing in a pond and Stanczak referenced the campus’ proximity to New York City and the Hudson River which is portrayed on the banner claiming how the river can be considered “a pond” for all the students.
In regard to who was a part of this initiative, Los shared how it was a joint effort between the SGA and staff members pertaining to athletics. Russell Rogers, the Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation, Alison Koch, the Athletics Business Manager, and Trevor Clifton, the Athletic Communications Manager all worked very hard to bring “The Pond” to life. Los brought Stanczak into the picture when difficulties arose.
The original idea was to have a painting but that idea was scrapped and was replaced with creating a banner. Later, working with a graphic designer, the team went through several design iterations after which they brought in Stevens branding to assure that design would follow university standards. The next issue the team ran into was how to hang this. Stanczak explained how things were looking as if the banner wouldn’t be put up at all. Determined, he shared how he, Los, and members of the athletics staff went to Canavan Arena with an engineer to find any sort of way to hang the banner up. Luckily, they were successful. The last bit was waiting for the university’s vendor Signworks to install the banner over the bleachers which happened on January 22, 2024 and two days before the reveal.
The event had very good turnout. Commenting on the state of school spirit Los stated, “I think it has come a long way since we started sponsoring the game. Sponsoring games helped. People come for the food and free shirts but stay for the game.” Both Los and Stanczak believe that the creation of “The Pond” is a huge step in the right direction in terms of garnering more school spirit.
Sharing her concluding thoughts on this initiative, Los found this project to be “painstakingly gratifying.” Stanczak agreed and wanted to share the following words with the entire student body: “It was a very collaborative effort and as we move forward, the student government remains committed to supporting students and organizing impactful projects that enhance the community.”
