The plates were full, the prizes were impressive and the president and his administration were mingling among the student body this past Friday on the Quad.

The third annual Pig Out with the Prez event offered free food, amazing prizes and a chance to speak face-to-face with President Bowman.

According to Christine Choute, junior public relations major, and the national/Illinois communications coordinator for the Association of Residence Halls, the event not only provided food and possible prizes, but more importantly allowed students a laid back environment to interact with their president and administration.

“The event has been amazing so far. It was fun planning it. We’re super happy to have Dr. Bowman come and all the other ISU administration. It’s really a great opportunity for students to get a chance to connect with ISU administration,” Choute said.

Those who skipped the event also missed out on the chance to win several prizes including many movies, and the grand prize – a Nintendo Wii. Choute said for anyone bummed about missing the event, there are plenty of other activities to fill calendars.

Amanda Carlson / Daily Vidette Photographer: Abe Lopez, senior communication studies major, reminisces about his relationship with President Bowman over the past four years of school. “I’ve known Al Bowman since my freshman year when he asked me to serve on some committees. It was nice to talk about how fast the years have flown by,” he said.

“We always encourage [students] to come to the event next year, and we also do have other university wide programs out there,” Choute said.

For Emily Szymczak, junior bilingual education major, making it a point to attend events like Pig Out with the Prez allows for fun as well as finding a way to get involved.

“If [students] come to stuff like this, they get a chance to know people, get involved, and meet other people that go to ISU,” Szymczak said.

While President Bowman was not actually stuffing his face with food, he did mingle with students and allow them to say hello or even voice any concerns they had.

“I like the whole idea [of Pig Out with the Prez] because it gives students a chance to come out and not only meet me, but meet some of the other senior administrators. We’re trying to break down the walls between the administration and the student body,” Bowman said.

According to Choute, the event’s success has a lot to do with students’ proud relationship with President Bowman, which is very unique among college campuses.

“ISU is very unique with our relationship with our president and students. All my other friends at other universities don’t even know their president’s name. The fact that I get to go to events, and he stops by, just sometimes for an hour of his day, and talks to students, really shows how much he cares for the university,” Choute said.

President Bowman said being an accessible president and having a staff that is supportive and there for the student body is something he is very proud of.

“I feel very good about the fact that students find me and my administration to be accessible and responsive to their needs.

“The only way for students to feel like they have access to the administration is for the administration to be out there and part of the student body and part of student life,” Bowman said.