While students are looking for a change of pace to their Friday night plans to start off the weekend, Late Nights at Lobo’s might just be the perfect campus event to foot the bill. Sonoma State University has been working with students and staff to help create fun-filled weekday and weekend events for students throughout the entire semester; among those at the forefront: the rotating selection featured at Late Nights at Lobo’s. 

“It’s nice because it’s something to do on campus and it also helps bring more students on campus during the weekends in order to take advantage of our awesome campus community,” said second year student Jamie Altier. 

This past Friday’s Late Night at Lobo’s event, held on February 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., included intense rounds of Disney movie themed trivia; although there are a variety of Late Night at Lobo’s events outside of trivia, including karaoke nights as well as bingo and game nights alike, rotating week-in and week-out. Every week, an RA on campus helps run the events with the help of programming assistants, also known as “PEAPS,” to aid in gathering all the materials they need in order to run the events smoothly.

Late Nights at Lobo’s is part of the University’s Student Involvement group, along with the assistance of the REACH program (Residential Education and Campus Housing), to help create a place for students to participate in fun activities instead of spending their weekend nights out drinking and the heightened risks that can follow suit.

These types of events have been going on for many years at the university and originally began at the university’s old pizza restaurant known as Amici’s Pizza. Although, within the past few years, the building was reconstructed and turned into the university’s Wine Spectator Learning Center. 

“There was not much of anything happening on campus on the weekends, or even after 5 p.m. on the weekdays, so we created programming in the old Zinfandel Dining Hall,” said Director of Student Involvement, Mo Phillips.

Phillips explained that these types of late night campus events have been around for years, starting in the year 2000, when there were limited student activities on campus; the school made it a prime initiative to start coordinating events that students would enjoy, many of which are  similar events to those still being hosted today.

“We like trivia and like to play games similar to that as well; it’s our thing,” said second-year Sonoma State student, Alex Petrini.

Altogether, the university has seen success in finding a fun and inclusive way to bring students together on an increasing basis. 

Events like those found within Late Nights at Lobo’s are perfect for students living on campus because they do not need to worry about having to even leave campus to have a good time; although students who live off campus are always welcomed to participate in these atmospheric game nights as well.

Outside of Late Nights at Lobo’s, the program hosts a variety of additional on-campus events, such as DIY Craft nights, hosted on Saturday nights. All the while, “Scene It: Movie Nights” are hosted in Ives Hall on certain Saturdays of the month during the beginning of the school year. Lobovision, the screen that looms over the student center quad, is riddled with information on events of the like. 

If students are interested in helping build ideas for these types of campus events, they are always invited to share their ideas by emailing the Director of Student Involvement Mo Phillips, at [email protected], or by reaching out to other students and staff involved with the Student Involvement program and REACH.