'Gobbler Nights' offers late-night fun for students
Looking for something to do this weekend? Gobbler Nights, scheduled for Friday, April 5, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Squires Student Center, offers novelties, music, games, movies, half-price games in the BreakZONE, and food in a fun environment.
Gobbler Nights is free and open to all Virginia Tech students.
Gobbler Nights, an initiative of Student Centers and Activities, was developed to address the need for weekend activities for students. “A few years ago Virginia Tech looked at student activities on campus,” said Justin Camputaro, director of Student Centers and Activities. “Feedback from these results indicated a desire for additional weekend and late-night programming.”
Two years ago, the Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center initiated Deet’s Place, a weekly entertainment series featuring comedy/improv, music, spoken word, poetry, and theater performed by student, faculty, and local artists. The initiative is a collaboration between the Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center, EXPRESSIONS student organization, and dining services.
As that program became more and more successful, the Division of Student Affairs began to seek other options for students. “We decided to develop a true late-night program that was much larger and later,” said Camputaro. “Last year we requested and received additional funding from the university to develop a pilot program -- what we now have as Gobbler Nights.”
The first two of the four scheduled late-night events were held in Squires Student Center on Friday, Feb. 1, and Friday, March 1, and were a resounding success, with more than double the usual traffic in Squires. About 1,500 students attended each event. Post-event surveys indicated that Gobbler Nights appealed to a wide range of students, regardless of class year or campus residential status.
Two more Gobbler Nights are scheduled for Friday, April 5, and Friday, May 3. Camputaro said that the initiative will likely continue in fall semester, and may be held more frequently, pending assessment of student feedback. “We know that the desire is out there,” said Camputaro. “We’ll fine tune this event as we go along.”
