By HANNA WOODS
Staff
hrwoods@umail.iu.edu

The lounge in the top floor of the University Center hosted Penthouse Party on the Bayou on Sept. 15 and 16.
The party was themed after Mardi Gras and organized by the Adult Student Center, Career Services, Counseling Services and the Mentoring Center.
The event, referred to as Smarti Gras, exposed students to the services offered on the top floor of the University Center South.
“There’s not a lot of foot traffic on the second floor,” Sarah Gierke, academic adviser, said. “We want to familiarize students with what we do up here.”
Smarti Gras allowed students to explore the top floor of the University Center and get better acquainted with the services and faculty.
“A lot of students are intimidated,” Gierke said. “We want to promote good relationships with the students to make them feel more comfortable.”
The top floor of the University Center includes many important student services on campus, such as the Adult Student Center, Academic Success Center, the Center for Mentoring and the Office of Disability Services.
One purpose of Smarti Gras was to clear up misconceptions about the services offered. For instance, some believe the Adult Student Center is only available to adult students at IU Southeast and their children.
Kim Pelle, Adult Student Center coordinator, encouraged students to explore all the services offered by the ASC.
“[The Adult Student Center] is a good place to study, with a warm atmosphere,” Pelle said. “Students can come and stay up here all day, and it gives them a chance to meet people just like themselves.”
Pelle is a native of New Orleans. She said she was excited to participate in the event and offered her own recipe for jambalaya, a classic dish of New Orleans.
Pelle also presented students with a $5 gift card which could be used in the Food Court or at the coffee shops on campus.
Students wore Mardi Gras attire with beads and masks and participated in many activities set up by the coordinators of the event, including a photo booth.
A wide variety of games were available to students, such as Apples to Apples, Connect Four, Scategories and Taboo.
Staff also had a Wii set up for students to play Wii Sports, which was taken advantage of by both students and faculty.
Students who attended Smarti Gras were able to socialize with other students, as well as meet the staff of IU Southeast.
By bringing Bourbon Street to IU Southeast, students were able to gain knowledge about the campus.
“We choose the Mardi Gras theme because it was fun and memorable,” Gierke said.