Dawg Bites and the future vision of UWT

It was wonderful to see so many people excited about Downtown Tacoma.

On April 29, UW Tacoma held its very first ‘Dawg Bites’ event, organized by the Milgard School of Business and Stan Emert. A community event for all ages consisting of games, exhibitions, food trucks, ice cream, mascot photo opportunities and information on the campus and university itself; Dawg Bites had something for everyone.

There were tables with information about the various programs and majors for prospective students, photo opportunities with Dubs, Hendrix and Rhubarb the Rainiers’ mascot, along with a scavenger hunt complete with prizes. Aside from the various activities offered at Dawg Bites, it was great to see the campus filled with people. 

The events that attracted the largest crowds were the Lincoln High School marching band and the Dawg Bites Passport scavenger hunt. It was wonderful to see people milling about campus, gathering passport stamps, snacks and prizes. 

For several years, the campus has been working on creating a welcoming environment not only for students, but also for the surrounding community. The campus experience and environment is an important contributor to how the university functions over time. Introducing more events like Dawg Bites will be beneficial to both student life and the surrounding community.

Besides the opportunities to participate in activities and get information about the university, attendees were also able to explore the campus and see its unique location. Posters detailing the future vision for the Tacoma Paper & Stationery makerspace were also there, which presented the opportunity to imagine what the university has in store for its campus.

Cultivating a welcoming setting where students can have lunch, study or spend time together is essential to any institution’s community; the experience of Dawg Bites gave students an idea of what future campus events could look like. 

Hopefully, the campus will see more events like Dawg Bites in the years to come!