By Christina Hinkle
For years now, clubrooms have been a tradition on the Hill. Whether they were hosted by Greek organizations, the Black Student Union, or other groups, they turn out a fantastic crowd of energetic students looking to have a good time.
In the past year, changes have been made to this long-standing tradition. Several groups, including three Greek organizations, had clubrooms in the basement of Blanche, where students could go to dance and hang out with friends. After the college stopped allowing these clubrooms in Blanche as a way to stabilize the building’s foundation, the memories were left behind as well, and club rooms are now held in the college’s forum.
Senior Alyssa Gagen says that clubrooms are “never going to be the same.” Although the forum is still a great place to get together, there was something about the clubrooms that was so unique. “It’s impossible to explain,” she continued.
Mitch Alexander of College Activities had mixed feelings about the new location of clubrooms. He explained that a benefit to having clubrooms in the forum is the size of the space, which is more accommodating to larger groups of students. However he also said that the new location “loses the homely side of clubrooms,” that the original Blanche clubrooms provided.
While many students are also torn, another concern that has been recently addressed is the fact that in past years, it wasn’t uncommon for clubrooms to remain open until 2 a.m., whereas now it seems they have all been ending at 1a.m.
Mitch Alexander has said that there are no real standards to what time clubrooms have to be over, and that it is a “case to case” decision that they make according to the function.
“Clubrooms are my single favorite event on campus,” said junior Amanda Gushard-Edwards. She goes on to explain that it’s “just not the same as it used to be.”
Regardless of the location, the energy is still there from all of the students, who would rather have clubrooms in the forum than not at all.
Although this seems to be the general feelings amongst many students, it is not just the students that enjoy these events. Mike Webster, Director of Campus Safety, said that clubrooms are “generally a good idea,” and continued to offer Campus Safety’s support of clubrooms. He believes that they help “keep vandalism down.”
Although the atmosphere of clubrooms has recently been altered, the tradition will remain the same: an energetic group of students looking to have a good time.
