Wayne State’s Pi Gamma Mu and Student Senate will be hosting the annual Festival of Trees in the Student Center Atrium Nov. 4-22. 

For the last 22 years, Pi Gamma Mu, the social sciences honor society, and Student Senate have hosted a Festival of Trees. Student groups pay to rent and decorate a tree, and the groups donate the money to provide essentials like socks and winter clothing to families in need throughout Wayne County.  

Any student group can put up a tree, whether it is a club, athletics, dorm halls or just a group of friends wanting to put a tree up. The event’s registration is $12 for groups providing their own tree and $20 for those hoping to borrow a tree from Student Senate. Student Senate has about 20 trees for groups to rent. 

Signup for the Festival of Trees goes until Nov. 4 when the trees start going up. Connor Semin, senior co-president of PGM, said the club has about 25-40 groups sign up every year. A few groups such as Pi Gamma Mu, Student Senate and Gamma Theta Upsilon, the geography honor society, put trees up every year.  

There’s no guide to how the trees can be decorated. If a decoration can fit on the tree, it is allowed. Decorations can be inspired by your group or simple design preferences.  

Randy Bertolas, the PGM advisor, said the group has anonymous judges picked by PGM that award a “Best in Show” prize and other acknowledgements.  

The Festival of Trees will set up in the Student Center Atrium Nov. 4-22. 

To sign up for Festival of Trees, visit the Student Senate office by Cat’s Corner, contact PGM co-presidents, Connor Semin ([email protected]) and Kylie Cautrell ([email protected]), or Randy Bertolas ([email protected]).