On Wednesday, Sep. 22, the Commuter Student Service, CSS, and the Commuter Student Association, CSA, hosted their fall drive-in movie event featuring “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”

At 7:30 p.m., students turned their car radios to 90.9 FM to listen to the movie displayed on a large screen in the South P parking lot.  While this event was hosted by commuter organizations, residents, commuters and family alike were encouraged to attend.  Large speakers on either side of the screen were even loud enough for those who chose to watch the movie outside of their cars.

Kirin Mahmud, president of the CSA, helped come up with the idea for a drive-in movie in fall of 2007.

“It’s all about making sure commuters are enjoying their experience here at Stony Brook,” Mahmud said.

And judging by the number of students who showed up to the event, it seemed like commuters as well as resident students were enjoying themselves. Over 80 cars were parked in front of the big screen.

Emily Resnick, the CSS Senior Advisor, wants commuters to look forward to being involved in on-campus events.  The drive-in movie is an “evening event commuter students are excited about and it has become a tradition,” she said.

Students seemed to agree.  Alanna Brickman, a junior anthropology major, came to the event despite having seen the movie before.  She had gone to last year’s drive-in movie and “thought it was a lot of fun.”  Her friends agreed.  “There are no other drive-in movies that I know of,” Samantha Ritter, a junior psychology major said.

Although the event was free, the club was accepting donations for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk that will take place on Oct. 16 this fall.  The three people who made the highest donations were to receive a free CSA blanket.

Unfortunately, the event was cancelled mid-way due to an impending lightning storm.  Campus police quickly directed traffic out of the parking lot so that commuters could drive safely home before the storm.  However, there is promise of a drive-in movie to be held in spring of 2011.  Amber Vissichelli, a sophomore environmental design, planning and policy major, thought the event was “pretty cool” and was “getting into it before they turned it [the movie] off.”  Although she hopes to go back to the Southampton campus next semester, she said she “wouldn’t mind coming back [to a drive-in movie] in the spring.”