On Sept. 16, Sonoma State University hosted one of its long-time events, Open Mic Night, through Zoom. This is one of many virtual events that Sonoma State continues to host through social distancing. Open Mic Night provided a safe space for students to share their talents. 

According to the Seawolf Living Events website, Open Mic Night is an event, “…where you can come and show off your talent! Feel free to perform a song, a comedy skit, a poem or anything you might want to share with fellow Seawolves.” Students were also welcome just to watch and cheer on their fellow Seawolves. 

The event has been moved to a virtual setting rather than the usual on-campus Open Mic Night many are used to due to social distancing protocols, but that didn’t get in the way of Associated Students’ (AS) plan to continue the event. Coordinators want to help continue to build a community for every aspect of a student’s life.

“Last year, students seemed to enjoy ASP’s in person Open Mic Nights and AS wants to continue to create opportunities to build community, have fun, and stay connected to SSU. We want to make sure that we are providing opportunities for students to express themselves, engage with others, and be able to have the opportunity to be social with other members of the SSU community,” said ASP Coordinator, Mariah Atkins.

Stephania Veziris, the ASP member who runs the event, adds, “Open Mic Night is a tradition at SSU and we wanted to keep that tradition alive especially during these times. We wanted the students to still feel that sense of school unity.”

The members in charge feel strongly for their potential to build confidence during this event. 

“This event is important for students to have that creative outlet where they can express themselves and share their talents with fellow students. Over the years, you see students who are afraid to share their work and once they perform in front of others, they come off the stage with applause and feel relieved. They are inspiring other students to express themself with their talent,” said Veziris.

The event started with introductions of ASP members and a welcome to the night. Students performed on a voluntary basis, deciding when or if they would like to share. Juan Garcia Rodriguez, a student at Sonoma State, shared an original poem about identity and race. Following his presentation, the ASP members hosting the event filled a lull in performers by playing music, creating light-hearted discussion, and sharing riddles. Though some were shy to perform, all attendees were very supportive of each other, participating in group discussions and applauding performances. The event hosts made it clear that the event is a safe space to spend some down-time even if no one is performing. The hosts were enthusiastic and welcoming to everyone and created an environment that is sure to make anyone want to come back.

For students new or returning to the event, things will not be much different from an in-person meeting with this group. 

“Our Open Mic Nights will be formatted similarly as to how we hosted them in person. Students are welcome to register/ sign up ahead of time but are also welcome to just hop on to the Zoom call and sign up when they arrive or just enjoy the show/ cheer on their friends and peers!” said Atkins. 

For more information on Open Mic Night and other events, visit seawolfliving.com/virtual-events or go to as.sonoma.edu/asp/events.