By Alyssa Louis
Correspondent
This year, the College Union Board made the 21st night of September one to remember.
Students gathered to dance, glow and sing Earth, Wind and Fire lyrics at the top of their lungs on Thursday, Sept. 21, when CUB hosted its annual Silent Disco on the Green Hall Lawn.
Students were given headphones with the choice of three color-coded stations, controlled by three different DJs. Genres included hip-hop, alternative and rock and roll, according to Stephanie Dipietrantonio, a junior biology major and CUB student board chair.
Sondra Nieradka, a senior communications major and CUB’s live event coordinator, described the College’s Silent Disco as her “favorite event of the year.”
The 2017 Silent Disco had a “better turnout” than the previous year, according to Nieradka.
The color of the headphones shifted between a green, red or blue light depending on the DJ that the individuals were listening to.
At most times, a rainbow was on display, but, when artists like Queen, Cyndi Lauper or The Backstreet Boys came on, a unifying glow painted the lawn, creating a colorful effect.
“I’ve been to a silent disco before and it was honestly one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” said Emma Eisenbeil, a freshman English and secondary education dual major. “This one was even better though, with the real DJs and all of the paints and lights, it was amazing.”
Amanda Politano, a freshman psychology major, was also impressed by the event.
“I wish they did it at least once a semester,” she said.
Ki-Ana Rivera, a junior English and communication studies double major, was one of the two organizers of the Silent Disco, along with sophomore communication studies major Jaime Gehringer.
Rivera is excited about the possibility of the Silent Disco becoming one of the College’s legacy events.
CUB hopes to imitate the film, “A Night in Roxbury,” the 1998 comedy based on a “Saturday Night Live” skit, “The Roxbury Guys.” CUB members wanted Green Lawn to resemble an indoor club to emulate the “super-corny movie,” Rivera said.
Kevin Doyle, a freshman open options communication studies major, saw success in the overall transformation of the campus into a disco.
“The lights and everything really helped,” he said.
While the structure of the event is the same as previous years, according to Rivera, CUB added one more DJ, an oxygen bar, glow-in-the-dark paint and a ping-pong table to this year’s Silent Disco.
The oxygen bar, which is known to have stress-relieving abilities, “smelled so good, but it was weird,” Eisenbeil said.
The event was a huge success and brought students of all ages together. Politano was surprised that it wasn’t just freshman in attendance.
“It was a lot of random voices, people screaming lyrics off key, and shouting and laughing,” said Madhav Patel, a junior biology major, when he removed the headphones and observed his peers.
Events like CUB’s Silent Disco are essential to college life, offering a positive atmosphere for students, according to Eisenbeil.
“Students need to just let loose, have fun, and just scream and sing with their best friends,” Eisenbeil said.
