Students Relax at Crunch Brunch Before Heading Into Finals

It’s almost the end of the semester and that means almost Christmas break. In order to get there, students must first go through the stress of finals week.

The Chaminade Student Programming Board had just the remedy to help students destress for two hours before heading into the finals week on Tuesday night.

“Crunch Brunch is a special tradition here on campus,” said the director of programming for CSPB, Cera Chung. “It’s a time where all of us can spend time together and really destress before finals week and really support each other around the holiday season.”

Crunch Brunch is a night filled with good food, exciting games, and a chance to enjoy two hours with your fellow classmates at the Silversword Cafe.

As finals week starts on Dec. 5, many students looked forward to unwinding for a bit.

“I really wanted some free food and just a break from studying for finals,” said Jasmin Clayton, a 20-year-old Nursing major. “I’ve been studying as much as I can, so it’s nice to just have a break.”

Many students were able to enjoy a variety of breakfast food items from pancakes, waffles, and bacon to some Hawaiian breakfast classics such as portuguese sausage and rice.

While students enjoyed the breakfast food and the company of their peers, they also enjoyed watching a few of their classmates compete in karaoke and lip sync competitions and other exciting games.

Rebecca Colunga, a junior exchange student from St. Mary’s, participated in a fun round of Christmas lip sync karaoke to which she performed, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives.

“The singing was kind of fun,” said Colunga. “But we also have something like this at my school. I love this event because it’s fun to see everyone in one place and relax. Everyone’s really trying to get through this stressful time and we’re all trying to bring up everyone’s spirits before finals week next week. It’s really fun to have everyone together.”

Not only did Colunga come to enjoy the company of her friends, but she also came to enjoy the dessert. While breakfast food was the highlight of the event, ice cream was also a popular menu item.

“I didn’t even know they were going to have ice cream and I love ice cream,” Colunga said. “I thought it was just breakfast foods but then I got here and they had ice cream.”

After watching a few other lip sync performances, a few students got to compete in a gingerbread house decorating competition with a twist. In a group of three, one was blindfolded, the other couldn’t speak, and one couldn’t hear. Together they worked to decorate a gingerbread house that replicated the model.

While some students were first-timers for Crunch Brunch, there were a few that had been to every single one that CSPB has been able to have since their freshman year.

“Me and my roommates, which I’ve had since freshman year, always come out to the Crunch Brunches,” said Iselle Santiago, a 21-year-old Psychology major. “It’s really fun to see new people every year and it’s nice to see everyone have fun together and meet new people.”

While students enjoyed the time spent with one another, many expressed how grateful they were for CSPB’s event and its ability to help them relax before they head into their finals.

“It’s a time spent with each other,” Chung said. “When you’re having fun, listening to Christmas music, and eating good food with good friends, the holiday spirit really comes alive and I think it really helps give each of us that push to get through finals and the semester off on the note.”