While some students pack up to head home for the weekend, the Weekend Life Council toils away to provide programming for students who stay on campus by co-sponsoring events with campus clubs in the hopes of creating a more exciting weekend environment.
During the 2011-2012 academic year, the council sponsored 30 events. Notable events included S’mores Indoors & A Whole Lot More, the Murder Mystery Dinner, Back to the 80s Dance, once per semester Relax-in-the-SAC programs, Putt Putt on the Plaza, monthly Game on with Gamers’ Guild, Red Hot Roller Rink and more. With between 200 and 400 students participating in Weekend Life Council every week, a total of approximately 3,030 students attended weekend life events throughout the year.
“The Weekend Life Council will help any group with promoting an event,” Christine Noonan, evening and weekend life coordinator, said. “We’ve worked collaboratively with the Gamers’ Guild for the past year on co-hosting monthly game nights. I’d advise the group to contact me and I would invite them to a council meeting where we can discuss their ideas and how we can best assist.”
The council also regulates the Weekend Life Grant, which is money specifically allotted to clubs and organizations seeking financial assistance for events and programming. According to Noonan, the council has no particular criteria for choosing what programs to co-sponsor. The council looks for feasibility, or how realistic the program will be; whether or not the program will enhance weekend life; and how open the event is to the student body.
Like other student services such as the Craft Center, student media organizations and other student clubs and organizations, the council receives funding from the Student Activities budget.
Before the council was founded in August 2011, students who stayed on campus went to programs sponsored by Red Hot After Hours, a group similar to the Weekend Life Council. The council put on double the amount of programs during the last academic year than Red Hot After Hours had sponsored. “The main difference between Weekend Life Council and Red Hot After Hours is that WLC last year was a paid group of 5 students, whereas Red Hot After Hours was a group of student volunteers,” Noonan said. Noonan thinks that the increase in programs has to do with having a group of paid workers as compared to the past when it was just a group of student volunteers.
The Weekend Life Council consists of eight undergraduate students and one graduate student co-supervisor. Those who wish to apply to be a part of the council can find applications in emails from the Student Life email list and Facebook. The council is not, however, currently accepting any applications, as it hired seven new students this past spring and has a full staff.
During the upcoming year, the Weekend Life Council is sponsoring a weekend-long showing of “Snow White and the Huntsman”, as well as events such as Gamers’ Alley, haunted laser tag and more.
