HAP, also known as Hounds Activity and Programing Board, is a student-led organization that hosts evening events and day trips on campus, like the upcoming trip to the DC Cherry Blossom Festival in April. Their mission is to provide engaging and entertaining activities for Loyola students. HAP aims to create a tight-knit community on campus. Events include school spirit activities, evening events, and off-campus trips.
The program is now in its second year of action. It is a combination of what used to be Super Fans, school spirit activities, Options, which ran off-campus trips, and the Campus Activities Board (CAB), which covered other on-campus events. These programs merged because their ideas and scheduling frequently overlapped.
Olivia Baumgartner, Assistant Director for Programming for the Office of Student Engagement described the program.
“We do events primarily focused on the weekends, on Thursday evenings, Fridays, and Saturdays. These range from a small craft night to a big concert,” Baumgarter said.
One of HAP’s main goals is to create campus wide traditions. Hound Hype Week is the week leading up to the iconic men’s lacrosse Battle of Charles Street game. The poster-making events are a new tradition HAP is trying to instill on campus.
Caroline Kunz ‘25, who attended the Hound Hype Week poster-making event, said she has noticed the impact HAP has on campus.
“They really made such a difference in building community and a sense of school spirit,” Kunz said.
HAP focuses on giving students something to do when they do not have class. They host events from slime making to seasonal themed parties to encourage students to step out of their shell and interact with one another.
“It gives a place for students to be with each other in a low-stakes environment. It gives something else for students to do other than going off campus for going out culture,” Baumgartner said.
The organization aims to create fun events for students to be able to relax in. Events like “Stuff a Plush,” where students can create their own stuffed animal, and “Paint and Sip Hot Chocolate” allow students to create connections with each other. They are designed for anyone to attend, whether you show up in a group of people or alone.
“HAP events serve as a safe space to help meet new people, hangout with your friends. It helps to promote unity,” Evening Events board member Katie Lewandowski ‘27 said.
There is no pressure in attending a HAP event. You can stay for as long or as little as you want. They want to give students the opportunity to connect with each other however they feel best. You can find events to attend on The Bridge and their Instagram, @loyolahap.
