theCrew is seeing more first-year students than other classes, including at the club’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” event Sept. 24 in the Brown-Lupton University Union.

Team leader for theCrew Alicia James said the organization’s goal for such an event as is to brighten students’ days.

“We have freshmen who may have been having a rough week,” James said. “We want to help get them out of themselves and their own boxes for a second.”

James said she couldn’t think of a better opportunity to do that than a silly event like this.

“Should’ve Been a Cowboy” had a mechanical bull for students to ride, games and Western-themed giveaways.

This particular event is one of theCrew’s most popular out of the 12-13 they put on a semester. Other favorites are “Mikey The Monkey” and the roller skating rink in the Campus Recreation Center.

Some first-year students agree that the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” event helped distract them and also make connections on campus.

“It relieves stress during a hectic school week, and it’s also great to meet new friends,” Tahlia Wilson-Nealy, a first-year psychology major, said.

Sarah Riley, a first-year biology major, agreed.

“It’s great to be distracted from class and have some fun at the rodeo,” she said.

Team leader for theCrew Jim Pfluger said first-year students are the ones who attend theCrew’s events most often out of any other class at TCU.

“Freshmen are the ones who see something on campus and think, ‘This looks really interesting, let’s see what this is,’ and that’s how they meet people,” Pfluger said.

Pfluger said he often doesn’t see non first-year students at events.

“A lot of upperclassmen think it’s not cool or a waste of money,” Pfluger said. “That’s disheartening sometimes because I know all the joy it brings to some people.”

Pfluger also said he wishes he could get more older students to attend theCrew’s events because he hears positive feedback from the students who do attend.

“Freshmen come up to me all the time saying how much they love the event, or how much they remember about it from a few weeks ago, or they’ll tell me they met someone at an event, and I think that’s so cool,” Pfluger said.

Pfluger added that while he wants to reach out and get more older students at events, he’s not quite sure how to do that yet.

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Junior mathematics major Nate Clark stopped by the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” event on his way out of the BLUU. Clark said he doesn’t attend theCrew’s events as much as he did his first year at TCU because he lives off campus now.

“When I did go to the events, it really helped me be with different freshmen and sophomores,” Clark said. “theCrew helps promote community and TCU and helps students take a break from studying.”

James said theCrew is discussing and planning events in Worth Hills to get older students involved, but she said she isn’t sure how it’ll turn out because it’s still a new project.