Student Activities Office Holds ‘Sound Check Bingo’
On Friday, March 23, the Students Activities Office held an event where students could play bingo and win prizes in the Student Center at 8:00 pm. The event was free and there were over $500 in prizes.
The event was organized by Megan McGowan, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Student Center operations.
Heather Kelly, Director of Multi-Cultural and Diversity Initiatives, explained each bingo night has a different theme. “We wanted to do themed bingo nights because it was more fun. The theme for this week is ‘sound check’ which was based on the Apple products,” said Kelly.
Melanie Rowbotham, senior and English Elementary Education major is also part of the film staff in the Student Activities office. According to her, the reason the event was free is so that students will feel some encouragement to come. “There were a lot of prizes that students cannot normally afford so that was a good incentive for them to come out and participate,” said Rowbotham.
Students could be informed about the event through the many ads displayed around campus and in the Student Center. Other ways students could have been informed about the event was through the weekly e-mail sent out every Wednesday, or through the flyers posted on the calendar in the Student Center.
Stefania Flecca, senior and English Secondary Education major, heard of the bingo night through her e-mail. “I checked my e-mail and I saw the event. I was interested in going because of the prizes,” said Flecca.
The bingo games typically last about an hour, or until the prizes run out. There were 12 prizes that were available and they included iPods, gift cards, music players, and headphones.
“I love to play bingo, but I am really hoping to win a new pair of headphones,” said Flecca.
About 30 students came out on Friday to play bingo and win some prizes. According to Rowbotham that is the usual turnout. “It was a good turnout; we usually get around that amount. We were pleased with the results,” said Rowbotham.
“The first bingo night we held had about 150 people, but as time goes on the number goes down to 30 or so each time,” said Kelly.
The Students Activities Office usually holds about two bingo events per semester. “Since it was so popular, we decided to have another one. This is the third time we are holding this event,” said Kelly.
Flecca likes to attend campus events, but bingo is her favorite. “I’ve been to a few of the bingo games and I have a lot of fun with my friends,” said Flecca.
Jordan Furey, is a senior with a major in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations and Journalism. She also went to the bingo night and was very impressed with the event. “I like to try to go to as many on campus events as my schedule allows. I find that being active on campus helps you learn more about other organizations, and you can also meet other Monmouth students and make new friends,” said Furey.
As Rowbotham said, the prizes were a great incentive to get students to attend. “I really enjoyed the bingo event. I love playing bingo and there were some awesome prizes,” said Furey.
Michelle Latteri, sophomore and a business marketing major, also went looking to win some cool prizes. “I went to the event with my friend Jordan and we both had a great time. I’m not really that good at bingo but I had so much fun. I’m happy I went,” said Latteri.
Both the students and the Student Activities Office were pleased with the turnout.
