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The winter weather huffed. And it puffed. But it couldn’t scare anyone away. Much to the relief of the scores of organizers who put together Saturday evening’s Late Night in Memorial Union, students braved the mounds of snow for the trek to the union following one of the largest storms in recent history. From 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., the Campus Activities Board hosted nearly 10 activities for students to participate in free of charge.
One of the most popular events of the night, the mechanical bull ride, presented a challenge for some patrons. The bull rode in a clockwise circle and the occupants’ stay on the bull was timed via computer.
“I had a hard time getting on the bull,” said junior business major Phonechay Vankham. “I jumped over it a couple times. But I liked the mechanical bull,” she said. “[It] was hot with three T’s.”
Outside on the union patio, students enjoyed the hot tubs set up by the CAB. Freshman pre-veterinary sciences major Zach Brochu and junior microbiology major Matt Sullivan donned swim gear for the chance to relax with friends in the warm water and frigid air.
“It’s decadent,” Brochu said. “It’s where you can bond with your friends. It’s a great UMaine experience.”
Sullivan said the water temperature was less than perfect.
“It’s tepid,” he said. “But I do enjoy the experience.”
For Brochu, the trek out into the cold wearing nothing more than shorts was accentuated by a “snow dip” following several minutes in the tub.
“It was a burning experience,” Brochu said about the dip.
CAB graduate assistant Michelle Gayne likened the night’s events to a smorgasbord of CAB’s nightly offerings in the union and said she hoped people will show up at the events during their regularly scheduled time as well.
“We’re trying to do a flavor of each CAB event,” Gayne said. “We really try to pull all of our CAB students’ talents into one night. It’s almost like a CAB open house.”
She noted that CAB didn’t go into Saturday’s Late Night without some experience.
“This isn’t our first Late Night,” Gayne said. “We’re setting standards for things to work forward to.”
In Union Central, students got to take in a small sampling of Java Jive, with students Andrew Matson, Eric Frye and Joanne Pineau each performing individual acoustic sets.
“[Java Jive] is good for when people are in [Union Central],” said Java Jive co-chair Vanessa Kelley. “It gives them an atmosphere.”
While the Union Marketplace and Starbucks were closed for Late Night, Dining Services did keep the Bear’s Den open for Karaoke and offered grilled foods from the Marketplace menu for students to purchase.
Back in the Union Central, Peer Education handed out free hot chocolate in CAB mugs for students and other Late Night patrons. Senior Hannah Ives said that PeerEd jumped at the chance to be a part of Late Night to help proliferate its own message.
“People who drink hot cocoa will be open to safe-sex pamphlets,” Ives said.
Sophomore PeerEd member Darin Franceschimi said that by tabling in the union, they were reaching more people than they traditionally do with their presentations in residence halls and classrooms.
In the Union Dining room, students could participate in Bingo for prizes or get their hand dipped in wax to create a sculpture.
Overall, students had positive things to say about Late Night in the Union. For Kevin Pillsbury, the night was a chance to try different things and spend time with his girlfriend.
“Bull riding was fun,” Pillsbury said. He noted that there was one part about the ride he didn’t enjoy.
“It hurt my groin,” he said. “I’d do it again, but I’d stretch first.”
Also that night, Pillsbury took in the School of Performing Arts’ “Chicago.”
“It was my first play,” he said. “It was good.”
For Gayne, the whole night came together perfectly and ran well.
“It’s a lot of organization, craziness, and volunteer recognition,” she said.
Campus Activities and Events director E.J. Roach estimated that Late Night would draw about 1,000 students over the course of the night, with about 300-500 students present at one time.
Bangor Daily News