Frederick Community College facilitated one of many extracurricular events on Thursday, March 2, when the Smith Agency set up shop in the Student Center from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Angel Dwyer, 36, was the self-proclaimed “college entertainer” who catered to approximately 100 students that day, airbrushing butterflies, kanji, and mandala designs in a variety of colors onto willing participants.
Dwyer, working on behalf of the Smith Agency, set up a table and chairs outside the bookstore for seven hours to airbrush free tattoos on curious passersby. Of the crowd that attended the event, there was professor Tracy Parker, the program manager of the Paralegal Department and a professor of the law career programs.
Parker said that the temporary tattoos were “a wonderful event to bring to campus” because of the “camaraderie and interaction” between students, and she considered participating as well.
Although the event encouraged interaction and engagement, some students were hesitant about allowing themselves to be tattooed even temporarily.
Bethany Engle, a sophomore, was part of a crowd of onlookers at the temporary tattoo station, just outside of the bookstore. Although both of her parents have tattoos, she stated she didn’t want a real one because of the commitment that comes with it.
Engle finally decided on a temporary butterfly tattoo, but remained hesitant of committing to a real one. Engle jokingly stated that if she ever got permanently inked, she’d mark her skin with “a freckle” so that it would be the least noticeable.
Although not all onlookers picked a tattoo design, the event was a success, according to Kristi Mills, the student activities coordinator with the Center for Student Engagement. In fact, the Smith Agency’s temporary tattoo event is so entertaining that Mills said they appear on campus at least once a semester. She described the activity as “fast,” and something that “everyone likes.”
Other events that the Center for Student Engagement facilitated in the past are candle making, dog-tag stamping, a photo booth, a game show, and a concessions series that happens once a month (such as the free waffle bar that occurred on March 8 in the Student Center). Mills explained that students pay an activities fee, and that by hiring entertainment like Angel Dwyer’s temporary tattoos, she simply gives students what they pay for.
“It is just fun,” Mills said. “It is an extracurricular.”
Parker added that the biggest success of the activity was “to witness students engaging and sharing ideas.”
