As a way to close out the semester, Students Encouraging Freshmen (SEF) hosted an open mic night to cap off the week before finals.
The event occurred in the Black Box Theatre on Friday, Dec. 8, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The open mic night consisted of people performing their favorite songs from movies and performances and having a good time together.
SEF is a new RSO that was established this past fall.
“In our freshman year, we felt that the friendships we made and the support that we had was what made us like the theatre department so much,” said Jess Hurley, a psychology and theatre major. “Many professors complemented the support system, so we thought we should give that to other people. We wanted to do fun, free events to help people meet others that they may not otherwise meet.”
SEF gives students the feeling of family, and that is what they hope to spread to their members and anyone that attends the events.
“(SEF gives) freshmen a different way to get out there and have something to do,” said Amber Tanner, a business and theatre sophomore. “Finding your group can be nerve-wrecking, so we’re giving them a group until they find their own or decide to stick with us.”
Even though the RSO is quite young, it has begun to fulfill its purpose.
“At our first event, a lot of new faces were brought to the department, and not even just freshmen,” Hurley said. “Some of the people that came were commuters or (people that) haven’t found their niche and ended up connecting with us.”
The RSO hopes to hold at least three events a semester.
In the beginning of the semester, SEF was kicked off with a board game night. To celebrate Halloween weekend, they facilitated an interactive showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Finally, to close out the semester, the open mic night was hosted.
Events for next semester are still in the works, but the RSO has been brainstorming.
“We’ve been thinking about hosting monologues, musical theatre workshops, line-dancing, seeing a show in the area and other possibilities,” Tanner said. “Nothing is confirmed, but those are some of the ideas that we have been tossing around.”
