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SC State boosts staff morale with popcorn socials

It's called 'Popcorn Fridays,' and it's a way for staff to get together during lunch hour to mingle.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — An afternoon snack on Fridays brings new and old South Carolina State University staff members together in the administration building for the first time since the pandemic.

It's called 'Popcorn Fridays,' and it's a way for staff to get together during lunch hour to mingle. SC State's newest public information officer, Sam Watson, says the initiative has helped him meet different people.

"Any time you come to a new place, you're going to have those jitters," Watson said. "Socializing such as this gets rid of them."

"Having that human interaction was something I really missed the most," said Davion Petty, SC State's Director of Alumni Relations.

"Everyone has been shut in due to COVID," said Kay Snider, SC State's Director of Marketing. "We wanted to lift the university employees' morale to make them happy to be on campus again.

Credit: Devin Johnson

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"When I came here, COVID was still raging. A limited number of people were on campu," Watson said. 'Popcorn Fridays' has allowed me to talk to people I wouldn't have seen earlier. In my role, I have to know the faculty and students to get the word out about what they are doing on campus."

SC State officials say 'Popcorn Fridays' started on the first Friday of June and will end on the last Friday of July. Staff members believe there will be a boost in attendance for certain events in the coming school year.

"We have a lot of new faces that have come on the campus since the global pandemic and prior to that some of us just have not met," said Petty. "This is an opportunity for those individuals to meet their coworkers."

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