Late night campus activities are continuing to give students an alternative to going out.

Events such as Midnight Movies, Monday Night Football in the Rathskeller, bowling tournaments and Rockin’ the Ratt are all activities the Center for Student Involvement has planned for students.

With each new semester, the number of events added to the late night calendar increases, and this semester isn’t any different. New activities include a Late Night Skate at the Kent State University Ice Arena that will take place throughout the semester. The center has also added an Xbox and PlayStation 3 competition in the Student Center Ballroom. The Midnight Movies will also be shown on Thursdays this year, in addition to the usual Fridays and Saturdays. Along with these additions, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be held in the ballroom instead of the Rathskeller this year to accommodate a larger crowd.

Last year’s late night events were well attended, said Pete Goldsmith, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs. He and other members of the organization believe this year won’t be any different. However, the center has been doing numerous things this year to get the word out about these late night activities.

“One of the new and effective things this year is ‘hot cards,’ which we have given out at a number of events ,” said Brenda McKenzie, interim director of the Center for Student Involvement, referring to fliers they have been passing out. “They were put in all of the residence hall rooms, and the first-year commuter students received a copy in their folders when they came during Week of Welcome.”

As another effort, the center is sending out an e-mail every Thursday to residence hall students to inform them about the upcoming weekend events.

The center has also been in collaboration with the different student organizations on campus to improve the quality of campus life.

“It’s becoming more a collective effort,” McKenzie said. “There are a number of areas that are trying to work more collaboratively together in terms of planning and promotion besides our office, such as the All-Campus Programming Board, Student Center Programming and the Ice Arena.”

Dean of Students Greg Jarvie said the goal of the late-night events is to keep the campus alive and for it to become a more interesting place to be.

“Research shows that the first seven weeks or so are critical, especially for first-year students – they need to feel connected to the university,” Jarvie said.

There are different ways for students to be connected to the university whether it is academically or socially. These late night events can help students get involved socially.

“We wanted to provide activities for students on the campus, primarily (on) Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Because there are not a lot of alternatives for students under 21 downtown,” said Goldsmith.

With a calendar full of events to attend over the course of the semester, there is no doubt students will not be without something to do.

“Last week, for example, we had four things going on Saturday night on different parts of campus, so there are lots of choices for students,” Goldsmith said.

Members of the center said that anyone with suggestions for new events or Midnight Movies can contact the Center for Student Involvement office.

Contact student affairs reporter Ashten Haswell at [email protected].