The men’s social club Sigma Iota Delta brought live music and goats for the first ever Goatfest that was held on the quad Thursday night.
The event had students performing, a moon bounce, Nine Square, food and even a mini petting zoo.
“I think it’s great,” said senior William Officer. “It’s different from most Lipscomb events. It’s a very chill atmosphere.”
Several students said they liked the music-festival like atmosphere, but there was more than just what met the eye.
“Not only is it fun but we’re also raising money for a great cause,” said Colton Whiteside, a SID member and Lipscomb senior.
That great cause is Open Table Nashville, a local non-profit organization that disrupts cycles of poverty, works with the marginalized and provides education on homelessness.
Open Table has had a Southern cooking and music festival on campus for the last four years. The money raised at these events has helped feed homeless people as well as help educate the community about the homeless population. This is a new way for the non-profit to raise money on campus.
Goatfest doubled as the club’s philanthropy event, raising $1,700 and it also served as a drug and alcohol awareness event. To raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, SID hosted several Nashville Police officers that brought along fatal vision goggles to do field sobriety tests on students. The goggles simulate different levels of inebriation and show how alcohol affects vision.
“Drunk drivers are everywhere,” Officer Jerry Bell said. “It’ll get you kicked out of school, it costs about $5,000, you lose your license and you can serve up to a year in jail. It goes up every time.”
Alcohol and drug awareness events are a fairly new requirement for social clubs to put on. Each club is expected to have one event a year that encourages students to have fun while staying sober.
The idea for Goatfest came from SID members who have attended the music festival Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama. They wanted a laid back atmosphere with music that the whole Lipscomb community could enjoy.
“It really is so great,” said Sydney Smartt, a Lipscomb Junior. “Lipscomb should do more stuff like this.”