The Weekend Blues
Holly Burdorff
Issue date: 11/11/08 Section: Up Hill, Down Hill
There isn’t much to do in a small Ohio town like Granville.
For students who don’t have cars and for new students who haven’t been able to meet many people on campus, there are even fewer things to do.
Luckily, there are plenty of groups and programs on the hill. Last semester, $712,785.34 was allocated to various campus groups and organizations to spend on their projects and on activities for the student body.
DCGA Finance Chair, junior Emily Julian, said that the finance committee encourages organizations to program weekend activities.
“Our funding guidelines state that we favor weekend programming,” the 20-year-old English literature and psychology major from Strongsville, Ohio said.
“It seems to be, from a general consensus, that this is the time that students prefer programs to occur.”
However, many students say they feel there is not enough programming late at night on the weekends.
Student perspectives
Junior Sorailla Duquerette, an RA in Shorney Hall, said she has trouble recommending good late-night activities for her residents.
“There are almost no activities that happen on this campus after 9 or 10 p.m., so when Friday or Saturday comes, what are students supposed to do?
“The Bandersnatch is closed. Mitchell is closed. The library is closed. You can't check out games from the service centers or keep them overnight,” Duquerette said.
The 20-year-old psychology and education major from Boston, Mass. believes that this boredom is one of the reasons many students party on the weekends.
“All that is left for students to do is go to a party and most aren't that great. This campus and its lack of nightly weekend programming is conducive to the party atmosphere we have,” she said.
Duquerette said she knows this problem has no easy solution.
“I totally understand the apprehension that most organizations have about planning an event on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night, thinking that no one would come because they would rather party.
“But I know that I'd rather go to hip-hop night at the ‘Snatch or watch a movie in Slayter or play some basketball at 10 p.m. than go to a party every single weekend,” she said.
“I feel as if a lot of people want for there to be more social events, but it’s difficult for organizations to plan and put money into an event if they think no one will come.”
Freshman Tanzania Glover, a native of Chicago, Ill., said she agrees that there is very little to do on campus late at night on weekends.
“If you don’t drink, there’s no fun,” she said. “If you do go out, people use you as a designated walker. It’s worse than staying in sometimes. It’s impossible to have fun in a place where everyone’s drinking.”
The 18-year-old psychology major said she knew this before she came to Denison.
“I noticed it the first time I went out,” she said, “And during my visit here [as a prospective student], in April, I noticed it too.”
Glover said that she and her friends would like to see some off-campus activities.
“Maybe we could do some stuff that’s like bowling, fun stuff that’s not on campus. Someone could get a van or two.”
Like Duquerette, she said she thought that keeping the Bandersnatch open late on weekends would be a good idea.
“That sounds really good,” she said.
Freshman Samantha Driver, an 18-year-old English literature and women’s studies double major, agreed with Glover.
“This seems to be a common theme every weekend for me and my friends,” she said.
“It ends up being that we have to leave campus to find things to do. After 10 p.m., everything’s closed, even down in Granville.”
Driver, a freshman from Troy, Ohio, had some ideas for on-campus activities.
“Maybe they could have more movie screenings or a chance for a lot of people to get together – like some board game night. They could try to have dances that don’t turn into big, gross, skanky, nasty-fests.”
She said that she knew a lot of people who wanted to see the same kinds of late-night activities.
“There are probably around thirty that I know of,” she said, and added that she doesn’t even know too many people. “And those are just the ones I talk to, and I’m not a social butterfly by any means.”
The Bar Scene
Alisa Gdalina, a 21-year-old German and International Studies double major, is one of many seniors who frequent Brew’s, Granville’s one bar.
The Las Vegas, Nevada native said that the limited bar scene in Granville can get old.
“I mean, there is Del Mar, but that’s not really a bar.
“From my perspective, it would be nice if Granville had another bar,” she said.
“But I doubt two bars would be successful in making money because there are not enough people. Having a choice, of course, would be awesome. Going to Brew’s and only Brew’s gets old.”
Off the hill: other schools
At Ohio University, a school known by many Ohio students for a lively bar scene, steps are being taken to create substance-free social environments late at night on weekends.
“We always have ‘After Hours,’ which is a social event put on by a group of students in the Greek community,” said Joshua Cosper, an office assistant in the Ohio University Campus Life Office.
“They give out hot dogs and nachos and stuff. It’s alternative to going out on the town and to the bars.”
He said they also offer a free movie in the school’s University Center, which starts around 10 p.m.
After recent rankings indicated that Kenyon College was becoming known as a party school, the Kenyon College Student Activities Office kicked into high gear.
They applied for and received a grant from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. This yearly grant allowed them to create a Late Night Activities Coordinator Position.
According to the Kenyon website, the coordinator “organizes and plans Alcohol and Drug Free events in collaboration with student groups for weekend late nights; collaborates with the Alcohol & Drug counselor to provide education opportunities; and is a general resource for alcohol and drug related questions.”
The problems with late events
Senior Kat Lenhart, the concert chair for the University Programming Council, explained why most events take place earlier in the evening.
“If someone from the Student Activities Office needs to be there, they need to be home before it gets really late,” she said.
Lenhart, a 21-year-old communication major from Rocky River, Ohio, also pointed out that performers can get tired.
“We want to promote a good atmosphere for the artist, the people working the events and the people who come to see the show,” she said.
“We don’t want to have people going home at 1 a.m. all tired for the next day. There is so much that goes into programming, for all parties involved, it’s a better situation if it happens earlier.
“If that means that students go out and party afterwards, that’s what they choose to do.”
Mitchell
Mitchell Athletics and Recreation Center used to be open late at night on the weekends, but staffing was difficult and attendance was low.
“We used to be open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays,” said Steve Romine, assistant supervisor of Denison’s athletic facilities.
“But there would only be about two people in the building. It just didn’t work. And if you look at the building use towards the later hours now, it just keeps getting slower and slower and slower.
“Another consideration in determining hours is that we are trying to conserve resources – to be more ‘green.’
“For example, running all the lights in the gyms, hallways and other areas, as well as running air conditioning and heating throughout the entire facilities for a couple of people using some parts of the building is considered by some to be wasteful and not the best use of such resources,” he said.
The Bandersnatch
Keeping the Bandersnatch open on weekends is also easier said than done, according to Maureen Crotty, the general manager of the Bandersnatch.
She said staffing is the biggest problem.
“Well, the major reason [it isn’t open on the weekend] is it’s hard to get people to work,” she said. “Also, if people come in and they’ve been drinking, that can cause problems. Overall, it’s easier on our employees’ schedules.”
“A year ago, we tried staying open on Fridays,” she said. “It didn’t really work out. We didn’t have a lot of people who came, and it wasn’t very profitable.”
Crotty, a 20-year-old physics major from South Euclid, Ohio, added that people can still technically use the Bandersnatch as a facility late at night on the weekends.
“Organizations have the opportunity to reserve it as a space for programming,” Crotty said. She added that groups have to go through the Student Activities Office to do this.
John Beckman, Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Student Activities Office, said that the office was open to the idea of the Bandersnatch operating on weekends.
“Years ago, it used to be open on weekends,” he said. “But there was a lack of interest in terms of staffing it.”
He added that the university wouldn’t consider hiring outside workers to staff it on weekends.
“Keeping the integrity of the Bandersnatch as a student-run facility is important,” he said.
Beckman also supports the idea of making changes to Slayter so that would be more conducive to relaxed social gatherings.
“I think that this is something the university will continue to look at,” he said.
“I think that it would become a place for students to hang out and have dialogue, activity, and intellectual discourse. It would be more of a community center, rather than an activities center.
“I’ll even go as far as to say that it is on a planning table maybe for the next 20 years, but this is not a short-term discussion. We are off on the right track, though.”
For students who don’t have cars and for new students who haven’t been able to meet many people on campus, there are even fewer things to do.
Luckily, there are plenty of groups and programs on the hill. Last semester, $712,785.34 was allocated to various campus groups and organizations to spend on their projects and on activities for the student body.
DCGA Finance Chair, junior Emily Julian, said that the finance committee encourages organizations to program weekend activities.
“Our funding guidelines state that we favor weekend programming,” the 20-year-old English literature and psychology major from Strongsville, Ohio said.
“It seems to be, from a general consensus, that this is the time that students prefer programs to occur.”
However, many students say they feel there is not enough programming late at night on the weekends.
Student perspectives
Junior Sorailla Duquerette, an RA in Shorney Hall, said she has trouble recommending good late-night activities for her residents.
“There are almost no activities that happen on this campus after 9 or 10 p.m., so when Friday or Saturday comes, what are students supposed to do?
“The Bandersnatch is closed. Mitchell is closed. The library is closed. You can't check out games from the service centers or keep them overnight,” Duquerette said.
The 20-year-old psychology and education major from Boston, Mass. believes that this boredom is one of the reasons many students party on the weekends.
“All that is left for students to do is go to a party and most aren't that great. This campus and its lack of nightly weekend programming is conducive to the party atmosphere we have,” she said.
Duquerette said she knows this problem has no easy solution.
“I totally understand the apprehension that most organizations have about planning an event on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night, thinking that no one would come because they would rather party.
“But I know that I'd rather go to hip-hop night at the ‘Snatch or watch a movie in Slayter or play some basketball at 10 p.m. than go to a party every single weekend,” she said.
“I feel as if a lot of people want for there to be more social events, but it’s difficult for organizations to plan and put money into an event if they think no one will come.”
Freshman Tanzania Glover, a native of Chicago, Ill., said she agrees that there is very little to do on campus late at night on weekends.
“If you don’t drink, there’s no fun,” she said. “If you do go out, people use you as a designated walker. It’s worse than staying in sometimes. It’s impossible to have fun in a place where everyone’s drinking.”
The 18-year-old psychology major said she knew this before she came to Denison.
“I noticed it the first time I went out,” she said, “And during my visit here [as a prospective student], in April, I noticed it too.”
Glover said that she and her friends would like to see some off-campus activities.
“Maybe we could do some stuff that’s like bowling, fun stuff that’s not on campus. Someone could get a van or two.”
Like Duquerette, she said she thought that keeping the Bandersnatch open late on weekends would be a good idea.
“That sounds really good,” she said.
Freshman Samantha Driver, an 18-year-old English literature and women’s studies double major, agreed with Glover.
“This seems to be a common theme every weekend for me and my friends,” she said.
“It ends up being that we have to leave campus to find things to do. After 10 p.m., everything’s closed, even down in Granville.”
Driver, a freshman from Troy, Ohio, had some ideas for on-campus activities.
“Maybe they could have more movie screenings or a chance for a lot of people to get together – like some board game night. They could try to have dances that don’t turn into big, gross, skanky, nasty-fests.”
She said that she knew a lot of people who wanted to see the same kinds of late-night activities.
“There are probably around thirty that I know of,” she said, and added that she doesn’t even know too many people. “And those are just the ones I talk to, and I’m not a social butterfly by any means.”
The Bar Scene
Alisa Gdalina, a 21-year-old German and International Studies double major, is one of many seniors who frequent Brew’s, Granville’s one bar.
The Las Vegas, Nevada native said that the limited bar scene in Granville can get old.
“I mean, there is Del Mar, but that’s not really a bar.
“From my perspective, it would be nice if Granville had another bar,” she said.
“But I doubt two bars would be successful in making money because there are not enough people. Having a choice, of course, would be awesome. Going to Brew’s and only Brew’s gets old.”
Off the hill: other schools
At Ohio University, a school known by many Ohio students for a lively bar scene, steps are being taken to create substance-free social environments late at night on weekends.
“We always have ‘After Hours,’ which is a social event put on by a group of students in the Greek community,” said Joshua Cosper, an office assistant in the Ohio University Campus Life Office.
“They give out hot dogs and nachos and stuff. It’s alternative to going out on the town and to the bars.”
He said they also offer a free movie in the school’s University Center, which starts around 10 p.m.
After recent rankings indicated that Kenyon College was becoming known as a party school, the Kenyon College Student Activities Office kicked into high gear.
They applied for and received a grant from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. This yearly grant allowed them to create a Late Night Activities Coordinator Position.
According to the Kenyon website, the coordinator “organizes and plans Alcohol and Drug Free events in collaboration with student groups for weekend late nights; collaborates with the Alcohol & Drug counselor to provide education opportunities; and is a general resource for alcohol and drug related questions.”
The problems with late events
Senior Kat Lenhart, the concert chair for the University Programming Council, explained why most events take place earlier in the evening.
“If someone from the Student Activities Office needs to be there, they need to be home before it gets really late,” she said.
Lenhart, a 21-year-old communication major from Rocky River, Ohio, also pointed out that performers can get tired.
“We want to promote a good atmosphere for the artist, the people working the events and the people who come to see the show,” she said.
“We don’t want to have people going home at 1 a.m. all tired for the next day. There is so much that goes into programming, for all parties involved, it’s a better situation if it happens earlier.
“If that means that students go out and party afterwards, that’s what they choose to do.”
Mitchell
Mitchell Athletics and Recreation Center used to be open late at night on the weekends, but staffing was difficult and attendance was low.
“We used to be open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays,” said Steve Romine, assistant supervisor of Denison’s athletic facilities.
“But there would only be about two people in the building. It just didn’t work. And if you look at the building use towards the later hours now, it just keeps getting slower and slower and slower.
“Another consideration in determining hours is that we are trying to conserve resources – to be more ‘green.’
“For example, running all the lights in the gyms, hallways and other areas, as well as running air conditioning and heating throughout the entire facilities for a couple of people using some parts of the building is considered by some to be wasteful and not the best use of such resources,” he said.
The Bandersnatch
Keeping the Bandersnatch open on weekends is also easier said than done, according to Maureen Crotty, the general manager of the Bandersnatch.
She said staffing is the biggest problem.
“Well, the major reason [it isn’t open on the weekend] is it’s hard to get people to work,” she said. “Also, if people come in and they’ve been drinking, that can cause problems. Overall, it’s easier on our employees’ schedules.”
“A year ago, we tried staying open on Fridays,” she said. “It didn’t really work out. We didn’t have a lot of people who came, and it wasn’t very profitable.”
Crotty, a 20-year-old physics major from South Euclid, Ohio, added that people can still technically use the Bandersnatch as a facility late at night on the weekends.
“Organizations have the opportunity to reserve it as a space for programming,” Crotty said. She added that groups have to go through the Student Activities Office to do this.
John Beckman, Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Student Activities Office, said that the office was open to the idea of the Bandersnatch operating on weekends.
“Years ago, it used to be open on weekends,” he said. “But there was a lack of interest in terms of staffing it.”
He added that the university wouldn’t consider hiring outside workers to staff it on weekends.
“Keeping the integrity of the Bandersnatch as a student-run facility is important,” he said.
Beckman also supports the idea of making changes to Slayter so that would be more conducive to relaxed social gatherings.
“I think that this is something the university will continue to look at,” he said.
“I think that it would become a place for students to hang out and have dialogue, activity, and intellectual discourse. It would be more of a community center, rather than an activities center.
“I’ll even go as far as to say that it is on a planning table maybe for the next 20 years, but this is not a short-term discussion. We are off on the right track, though.”
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