TVA residents enjoy free popsicles, interacting with construction workers and a photo booth with an excavator
Jacobsen Construction, Student Professional Development, Housing Operations and Residential Life provided free popsicles and photos to help TVA residents stay cool and bond together on a sunny day. Organizers said the event created a sense of community among residents and construction workers.
"Our main goal for this event was to bring families, contractors and housing together to create positive relationships, especially as construction continues on campus," said Heina Hanohano, a Housing Business administrator in Housing Operations and alumna who majored in information systems.
Karismanda Budi, the event’s public relations manager and a senior from Indonesia majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, "There is ongoing construction work all around BYU–Hawaii campus and in TVA, so the event was to encourage residents to get to know the construction workers and team to create a sense of community."
Hanohano explained the construction in TVA has been an inconvenience for residents. “We understand it has been hard dealing with the noise and dust,” she said. Budi shared, "We want TVA residents to feel like they're also part of the construction and part of this development at the university, [and that] their opinions are also valued," said Budi.
Hanohano said the event was discussed at one of their weekly owner meetings with the architects and contractors as a way to enhance public relations with TVA residents. "The popsicles were a fantastic way to engage the families, and everyone needed a cold, refreshing snack because it was a hot day,” said Hanohano. She said the families could also get a close-up view in the photo booth of the excavator, which they see and hear on a daily basis.
According to Hanohano, Jacobsen Construction offered to sponsor the event by providing the popsicles, the excavator, the hard hats and the safety vests. SPD also provided coloring books, stickers, crayons and miniature hard hats for the kids. Budi said Jacobsen Construction brought their tools so families could get pictures with them and the workers and learn more about the tools.
Budi shared, "We are on the same team, and we want them to feel like this is not [just] an inconvenience but that this is also for our university's purpose to make it better."
Hanohano said the families who came really enjoyed it, but they did have some difficulties with attendance. She explained some families knew about it and others did not. But they tried to fix this by interacting with the attendees, Hanohano said, and “the word started to spread as they shared with their friends. Some people even went home to bring their kids to the event.”
She shared, “The construction team enjoyed interacting with the families and the kids, especially when they came back for more popsicles!” Hanohano said events like these give families and contractors a chance to take a break from their daily tasks and enjoy themselves.
Hanohano said, "Having fun together contributes to the development of strong relationships and a stronger sense of community.” She shared that more of these events are already planned for the future, and she hopes more residents attend.