The Alcohol and Other Drugs Education Group hosted an event last week where students could create their own neon sings to take home with them.
The event, Oz After Dark, took place last Friday in the Marano Campus Center, which provided materials for participants to create their own neon decorations to take home, while also providing students with snacks and refreshments. However, space was limited, and was only able to accommodate 20 students.
These slots quickly filled up, after a crowd showed up early to cement their place in the event, the organizers decided to start early, opening up at 6 p.m. rather than the advertised 6:30 p.m. While this meant the event was a success, it did result in staff needing to turn away students that could not fit into the event on time.
Two students, Sabriah McQueen, a communications major, and Sophia Escobar, a history major, came an entire hour early in response to finding unavailability at other events. Especially when they found themselves unable to participate in a pumpkin carving exercise despite showing up at the advertised time. They were notified about the event through various sign postings around Cayuga Hall as well as the residence hall’s Instagram updates. McQueen said she only had an interest in ones with a more creative side to them.
“We got here at 5:30. Last time we came to a pumpkin [carving] event and they ran out of pumpkins.” McQueen said. “The more hands-on stuff like creative stuff, painting and building.”
Nykky Bivens, the graphic designer for the Mary Walker Health Center, said that the event was the first of its kind and that the goal of the event was to encourage students to find more productive pursuits on the weekends.
“I worked in collaboration with the Alcohol and Other Drug Education Coordinator, that works in the dean of student’s office. We’re trying to come up with a new program for students to try something new and fun for the weekends,” Bivens said.
The event was originally slated for Thursday, Feb. 27 but was moved to Friday after fallout from a snow-storm.
“It got pushed back because school was canceled that Thursday and Friday. With the really bad weather we didn’t want anyone coming because the snowstorm was really bad,” Alejandro Estrada, a human development major that assisted in coordinating the event, said.
The neon signs are not the first of their kind, as they have been frequently given away at other events, but this would mark the first time that the event organizers provided the materials for students to make their own ones. The program offered students canvas frames to paint onto, before poking holes into it in order to thread neon wire around the painting, with each canvas being from a preset selection of five different designs.
The events are meant to target students that might find themselves at a loss for plans during their weekends. Offering localized events in the heart of the campus, with each one being built to slow the use of drugs and alcohol on campus by getting students engaged in creative pursuits.
Photo by Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian
