Editorial: More, thoughtful weekend events needed for students

A+wide+range+of+prizes+were+up+for+grabs+during+the+bingo+games+in+the+Memorial+Union+on+Saturday.+The+games+were+sponsored+by+ISU+AfterDark+and+lasted+until+1+a.m.

Photo: Lyn Bryant/Iowa State Daily

A wide range of prizes were up for grabs during the bingo games in the Memorial Union on Saturday. The games were sponsored by ISU AfterDark and lasted until 1 a.m.

Editorial Board

Iowa State is expected to have about 36,000 students this year, and different interests and hobbies are bound to exist along with them. Unfortunately, students often get broken up into larger subgroups that are not representative of their individual interests.

This seems to be the case when it comes to weekend entertainment, especially for those students who are under the legal drinking age. When it comes to scheduled weekend events by the university and other community organizations, students seem to be divided into two vastly different groups based on the way they are assumed to spend their weekend nights: the blackout-weekend drinkers and the study-on-a-Friday nighters.

But the reality is some students are stuck in the middle. They’re not interested in going to the, at times, dangerous, rowdy or crowded house parties, and they are not wanting to spend weekend nights studying in their dorms.

So what’s the matter with that? Those inbetweeners want and need somewhere to go on the weekends to have a good time at college and take a break from studying while still avoiding undesired and boring activities.

The Student Activities Center currently has a calendar of activities that is supposedly designed to entertain students, but how many college students want to go play bingo or do crafts on a Saturday night?

So what are these middle students supposed to do? Spend their college weekends watching the same movies they’ve seen a million times? That isn’t the goal of university. When students leave, the hope is that they have had a well-rounded experience at Iowa State, and although organizations like Student Activities Center have good intentions, some of the events are missing the mark with many of the current structures.

While events like concerts and comedians such as Kevin Hart are great options for these students, realistically these kinds of acts can’t be on campus every weekend, and students may not be able to afford tickets regularly.

More events such as Tuesday night’s outdoor movie on the Memorial Union parking ramp are both realistic to put on regularly and desirable for many students. College students also seem to love food, so what about more late-night food events like midnight pancakes on campus?

The whole idea of creating an environment where students who don’t wish to go out to parties and can’t take part in much of the city’s nightlife because of their age is spot on. However, if the university is going to take the time and use the energy and resources to put on student-friendly weekend nights, organizations should do it in a way that will attract the highest number of students possible. Yes, there are students who love bingo and crafts on Saturday nights, and that is great; however, it isn’t applicable to many other college-age students.