TWIRP week at CBU features activities designed to help students build community

Students enjoy a concert by The Native Sibling on Sept. 25 in Stamps Courtyard as part of TWIRP week at California Baptist University.

Riverside, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2017) – It is officially TWIRP (The Woman Is Required to Pay) week at California Baptist University, one of many campus traditions designed to help students connect and form friendships.

During TWIRP Week, women have the opportunity to ask men to join them at different social activities, said Kristin Holderman, director of campus activities for Community Life. The week is more about developing a positive social environment on campus rather than just dating, she said.   

“We promote attending with groups of friends, as a duo or on your own to make new friends,” Holderman said.

This year the week’s activities started with a concert by The Native Sibling (an acoustic folk band) on Sept. 25. Later in the week, students can also attend a Dodgers’ MLB game, a barn dance, an outing to Sky Zone (a trampoline park) or a trip to Disneyland.

Kendall Morris, a communication studies senior, attended the concert and he also plans to go to the barn dance and to Disneyland.

“I think the environment is just fun,” Morris said. “It is not just couples but also the whole community hanging out and having a good time.”

Emily Hagar, a pre-nursing freshman, looks forward to the barn dance set for Sept. 28.

“I enjoy that TWIRP makes girls put themselves out there and ask the guy out – it’s something we wouldn’t [normally] do,” Hagar said.

As a senior, Matthew Brungardt, a mechanical engineering major, is an experienced “TWIRPER.”  

“My favorite part about attending [the dance] as an upper-classman is watching it dawn on freshmen who show up in Western clothing that it is actually a costume party,” Brungardt said.

Holderman said the week is also aimed at fostering school spirit.

“It is a week full of events designed to build community, enhance the student experience through traditional events and experience something new,” Holderman said. “This has been a long-standing tradition at CBU and a fun way to kick off the year with friends.”