The dining commons buzzed with energy as pancakes flipped, eggs were cooked and students shared enjoyed nostalgic vibes long after sunset last week.
Organized with a unique Y2K theme, “Eggs After Dark” blended nostalgia, music and free food to draw a diverse crowd looking to unwind and connect. Students and faculty attending were given neon lenses and breakfast after dark to ring in the end of the academic year.
Brenda Urbina, a sophomore who works for Student Housing and Residential Life (SHRL) explained the event is mainly to help students destress for finals.
“Finals are very stressful, and students often get overwhelmed. So we wanted to give students a safe space to disengage from everything,” said Urbina. “Be with friends, have free tutoring and just make sure they have a fun time.”
Urbina said the event happens twice a year, and the menu changes depending on what the SHRL are able to come up with.
“This year the theme was Y2K. So there is like neon pancakes, a lot of different punches, the music is Y2K themed,” said Urbina.
Students started to gather outside the Dining Commons around 9 p.m. in anticipation of the event starting. The SHRL staff were commissioned to ensure everybody signed in for the event. Inside the Dining Commons was a table of candies and cupcakes, a photo booth station and a table for the Cooperative Learning Center (CLC) offering students assistance in math, writing and chemistry.
Some students such as Anthony Pietri, an international student from France, said “Eggs After Dark” wasn’t originally part of their plan for the night, but they were drawn in by the music and size of the crowd.
But other students such as Michael Olaoye, an undergraduate computer science major, signed up for the event in advance. Olaye enjoys that the event gives him something else to think about before finals week.
“It definitely is distracting in a good way because obviously the semester gets a little bit stressful. So this is a good distraction,” said Olaye.
Adrian Emilio Ruiz, was another student in attendance. He came for the free food, but stayed to spend time with friends.
“I think it is more of a community building event where you get time to spend with a lot of people around campus, a lot of different people,” said Ruiz. “Allowing everybody whether they have a meal plan or not to come to the DC [Dining Commons]. It’s a great way to get to meet people, have fun, eat free food and just a fun environment.”
