Joe Rowdis ‘25 and David Brush ‘24
Guest Writers
To kick off the 2024 spring semester, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) provided its annual Welcome-Back Weekend full of events on Friday and Saturday nights from 9-11 p.m. in Crossroads. Friday was highlighted by the collaboration of the Music and Publicity committees hosting the main event of music bingo. Thanks to DJ Joe T for running the event smoothly and for the CAB members of both committees for their time and preparation. Additionally, on the side, students had the opportunity to make a snow globe with various decorations, and there was also some food in the midst of these two activities. As a co-chair of the Social committee at CAB, I understand the dedication it takes to successfully run an event for the campus community. For this reason, I decided to spend my first Friday night of the semester with my friends to show support for my fellow CAB members’ hard work. What is music bingo you may ask? Music bingo consisted of listening to six rounds of different genres of music, some including country, bar favorites, and the summer of 2023. To determine the songs being played, students were allowed to use Shazam for help in recognizing part of the rhythm and lyrics to an unfamiliar song. Like any bingo game, when a student had five songs in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal pattern, they would call out bingo and receive the prize for the round (unless a song duel would occur first for multiple bingo callers). The prizes were unknown before the event, but they consisted of two blankets, a Stanley Cup (not the NHL championship trophy), a speaker, an Apple gift card, and a Target gift card. This event was a great way for students to reconnect with their friends on the first weekend back to campus after the Christmas break, especially for some students who returned to campus for the first time since the previous spring semester.
In terms of the turnout, I would say that throughout the night, there was an increase in students who participated in music bingo, and luckily, many of them seemed to leave with a happy face. Whether students were there to participate and win a prize, spend their Friday night doing something fun, or go just to socialize with friends, good vibes were happening throughout the night. I thought music bingo was well-organized, and you could tell that the students genuinely wanted to be present at this CAB event. I had so much fun at music bingo because as a person who loves to socialize with friends and listen to music, this event contained many aspects that contributed to my happiness. As for the many friends of mine sitting at our table, we carried great energy between talking amongst each other and using Shazam for the songs (many of which we were jamming out to). Overall, music bingo turned out to be a success for CAB and fun for the students, as there is optimism for seeing this event happen again next year.
On Saturday night, the Entertainment committee hosted comedian Ryan Erwin in Crossroads at 9 p.m. Colorful tablecloths and streamers transformed the dining room in preparation for Ryan’s appearance. As an eager crowd waited for the clock to strike 9, students took turns approaching the stage and presenting jokes of their own, followed by uproarious laughter from a quickly growing crowd. A display of delicious warmth soon became available for all attendees, consisting of pizza, cookies, and hot chocolate. Once everyone had filled up their plates with snacks, it was time to start the show. Lights surrounding the stage grew dim, drawing all eyes to the microphone, behind which Ryan stood. A bout of applause and cheers quickly ensued, to which Ryan responded, “knock knock.” At that moment, the drop of a pin would have caught anyone’s attention in that newly silent room. “I’m just kidding,” Ryan said, and his show officially began. After what felt like mere minutes of smiles and laughter, an hour had gone by. “Thank you Worcester,” Ryan shouted, before exiting the stage. On their way out, students were invited to take leftover food back to their rooms, and CAB members returned Crossroads to its former glory. I can think of no better way to close out such a fun-filled Welcome-Back Weekend.
Featured Image Courtesy of Matt Nickerson ’24
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