New changes at Uptown enhance student “down time”

Jen Lassen, Senior Editor

Uptown, a student-run venue located in Swartz Hall, will now be open three full nights a week. These new regular hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays provide students with a space for amusement and relaxation on the uphill side of campus.

“Right now, we will be open three full nights a week. Our goal is if we get good crowds to be open more days in the future,” Michael Duignan, director of Campus Activities and Programs (CAP), said.

Spending time at Uptown on a weekday is a new option for students this semester. On Thursdays from 7 p.m. to midnight, students are encouraged to come play games like pool, air hockey, and foosball; enjoy refreshing fountain sodas, sweet tea, lemonade, and an assortment of snacks; and get their homework done in a comfortable study environment.

“Uptown is a great place to do some homework for those people who like a little noise when they study. Why trek to the lib or Seventh St. Café when you have Uptown next door?” Emilie Ratajczak ’15, Uptown student director, said.

In addition to regular hours on Thursday nights, Uptown is hosting a variety of weekend activities this semester. From pub nights, to poetry slams, to karaoke nights, and much more, students can check out all the new activities at Uptown.

“There will also be five Sunday night football games, so Uptown will be open from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. There will be pizza, and on some of the game nights, wings,” Duignan said.

This semester, Duignan and the Uptown staff hope to offer more food and beverage options to students. The Uptown team is currently working with Dining Services to make this happen. They are also working with Library & IT to install relocated flat screen televisions at the venue.

To spread the word about these new additions and changes, the Uptown staff has created the hashtag #uptownu for students to post pictures and tweet about Uptown events.

“This year, the CAP Center/Uptown will be doing more pushes on social media to promote events and receive feedback about programming in Uptown,” Duignan said.

Not only can students come to Uptown events and exchange their experiences, but they can host their own events there, too. Student organizations need only to contact Michael Duignan to register Uptown and rent it out for their event needs.

“Some of our other regular events to look forward to include trivia nights (with first-, second-, and third-place cash prizes); events with Campus Vinyl; and so much more. Look out for advertisements on the class Facebook pages and in the glass boxes in the LC,” Ratajczak said.

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