An upcoming scavenger hunt along the Link Trail, beginning on Main Circle at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 14, is student government’s Department of South Bend Engagement’s latest initiative aimed at helping the tri-campus community discover and connect with South Bend.
During this collaboration with Visit South Bend & Mishawaka and the University’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications, students will complete a scavenger hunt along the Link Trail, a dedicated running, walking and biking path connecting Notre Dame to downtown South Bend. Participants will have a chance to win a free Notre Dame hockey jersey. The scavenger hunt will end at Manny’s Sports Bar, a new restaurant in South Bend where students can grab a bite to eat and wait for complimentary transportation back to campus.
The scavenger hunt is part of what the department’s director Jacob Arulandu describes as a broader mission: to help the tri-campus community interact with South Bend on a more relational basis and develop connections with the South Bend community.
Arulandu shared what he considered to be the department’s motto, to “bring South Bend to campus with the goal of inspiring students to eventually go back out to South Bend.”
Arulandu is a senior who has been involved in student government for the past three years. He joined the Department of South Bend Engagement last year under the guidance of former director Ethan Chiang. When asked why he focuses on South Bend engagement, Arulandu said, “I really like being the bridge because I’ve had the great opportunity of being out in South Bend and realizing how much of a great place it really is and I think sometimes that’s overshadowed by all the great things we have on campus.”
So far this year, the department has organized two renditions of the Notre Dame Farmers Market in collaboration with the South Bend Farmers Market, bringing different vendors from the city to campus on Sept. 19 and Oct. 17.
To celebrate National Coffee Day, they hosted a South Bend Coffee Shop on South Quad, bringing coffee and pastries from local shops to campus.
The department also hopes to help the tri-campus community discover local restaurants with the Downtown South Bend Dining Pass, a free digital pass that provides discounts to 25 restaurants in South Bend for students in the area.
Notre Dame junior and dining pass user Finley Shinnick said, “I’ve used it so far to go to two cafes for discounts on the whole meal, and then also at Woochi Japanese Fusion & Bar downtown. And we got free edamame! I don’t think I ever would have gone there if it hadn’t been for the dining pass. So, I’m treating it like a checklist.”
Additionally, the department publishes a South Bend Monthly Digest on student government’s Instagram to inform students of upcoming events in the area. November’s digest, for example, advertises Live Band Karaoke at Cheers Bar and Grill and weekly holiday lights celebrations at the Potawatomi Zoo.
In terms of the department’s future plans, Arulandu highlighted what he considers to be their signature annual spring semester event, Taste of South Bend, which invites local food vendors to offer a food tasting on campus.
In February, the department will launch its Book Buddies program with the St. Joe County Public Library to promote youth literacy, through which Notre Dame student-athletes will read, make crafts and share a snack with children over the course of multiple sessions.
Also in development is a Field Day with South Bend public schools set for late March. Classes from nearby public schools will be paired with Notre Dame athletic teams for a field day of sports and games.
“Our goal is to kind of be a bridge between the campus community and the South Bend community and so a lot of our initiative work and a lot of the stuff that we put on focuses on direct interaction with local vendors, local restaurants, different organizations within the community that really make South Bend what it is,” Arulandu said.
