APSU's Living and Learning Community students welcomed to campus with interactive 'quest'
By: Meagan Potts August 31, 2023
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Students from Austin Peay State University’s Living and Learning Community, Engage, recently kicked off the fall semester by undertaking an immersive quest designed to help them build friendships and explore the campus environment.
Engage consists entirely of incoming freshmen, who share a dormitory and form a close-knit
communal cohort. Meagan Potts, the coordinator of Community Engagement and Sustainability,
designed the event to welcome the group to APSU during move-in week.
Several campus organizations teamed up to bring the “Lord of the Rings” themed quest to life, including Health and Counseling Services, Career Services, the Felix G. Woodward Library and the Foy Fitness Center.
To progress through their journey, students had to follow clues to discover a series of waypoints and complete challenges themed around each location. Ultimately, they were tasked with scaling the Foy’s climbing wall to retrieve a symbolic ring without being deceived by an array of decoys.
Along the way, students stopped by Health and Counseling Services to inscribe their positive affirmations and aspirations for the school year and worked together to cross a fiery moat of lava at Career Services. The challenge tested NACE Career Competencies like critical thinking, teamwork and communication.
Potts said the event was a resounding success, drawing enthusiasm from students, faculty and staff who participated. As a result, she plans to design another quest next year – and the community can look forward to a “Harry Potter” inspired challenge based on the franchise’s iconic Triwizard Tournament.