This past Thursday, the Kind Closet hosted an Etiquette Dinner at SRU.
Individuals gathered in the Student Success Center (SSC) for an opportunity to learn new skills and help prepare for the future.
Katie Weiner is a junior majoring in elementary and special education. Weiner is also the president of the Kind Closet.
“The Kind Closet is an organization for anybody interested in helping provide free professional clothing and other necessities for college students,” Weiner said. “Students are provided with the opportunity to look into sustainability. The Kind Closet reduces waste on campus while providing [free] professional clothing for students for any occasion, including field experience, internships, clinical experiences, interviews, conferences and much more.”
Weiner collaborated with Dr. John Rindy to bring this event to campus.
“We worked through the end of the fall semester into the spring to plan and prepare this event,” Weiner said.
“In previous years on campus there had been an Etiquette Dinner hosted, however, in recent years, they were hosted by request only. I felt it was important knowledge for students to have to support their career development,” Weiner said.
This was the first Etiquette Dinner hosted by the Kind Closet. The event began with students gathering into the SSC and a session on how to tie a tie taught by Rindy.
Aramark provided food, offering dishes including pasta, chicken and cheesecake.
Rindy explained dinner etiquette when at a professional event, discussing topics such as silverware use, how to sit, and what to and what not to talk about at professional dinners.
Students were also able to take pieces of clothing from the Kind Closet.
Weiner shared her favorite part of the event.
“Honestly, when I first walked into the room and saw all the tables and name tags set up and ready to go, after the work put into planning the event, it was extremely rewarding to see the finished product,” Weiner said.
Weiner shared how she feels that these events are beneficial for students on campus.
“They provide knowledge on engagement during professional events. Etiquette dinners help prepare students for future work-related events to help reduce anxiety and boost engagement,” Weiner said.
If students are interested in getting involved with SRU Kind Closet, the organization holds meetings once a month. All information for dates and details can be found on CORE.
“The Kind Closet is currently located in Carruth Rizza [Hall], Room 012, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Students are welcome to stop by at any time to browse professional or casual clothing or to drop off donations,” Weiner said.
This semester, the Kind Closet will be relocating to the Student Success Center.
All the clothing is gently worn and completely free for all SRU students.
