A new glow up for VU After Dark

As classes wrap up and the weekend nears, students know they can look forward to a wide variety of events hosted by VU After Dark. These events have generally happened on Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. The Student Life team has been responsible for bringing these events to fruition and, after reevaluating the framework of the system, have decided to branch out even further and expand upon the VU After Dark idea by introducing Weekends at VU.

With the new branding, Student Life is bringing activities at Viterbo to a new level. Breaking from the general framework, the timing and variety of planned events have increased tenfold. As well as having a multitude of events on or around campus for students to participate in, Weekends at VU is also offering tons of opportunities for students to travel away from the campus, whether it be to support the Viterbo sports teams at their away games, or to embark on an activity-based trip, such as the trip to the Kalahari Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells on April 5.

As the current plan states, Fridays will stick to what most students have come to expect from the group, such as late-night bingo, ice skating trips, and trivia nights. Saturdays, however, will tend to involve more community-based events, such as on-campus sporting events and theatrical performances. The latter will also occasionally include certain perks. For example, Student Life has collaborated with the athletics departments to offer students free tickets as well as pizza at the sporting events hosted in the Varsity Athletic Center. In addition, they will be providing transportation to home games at Viterbo’s Outdoor Athletic Complex.

Jacob Hart, the Assistant Director of Student Engagement, explained the reasoning behind the expansion of VU After Dark. When mentioning new opportunities for students to support their peers on campus in sporting events or shows, Hart shared, “We want to see an increase in attendance at events that are already going on. We’re trying to build a sense of unity on this campus.” Hart continued by explaining, “The overall hope is to have that kind of all-encompassing schedule, where no events are left out that students want to go to.”

In addition to the added amount of options for students, Hart explained that students are encouraged to suggest their own ideas for what they want to see from Weekends at VU. He believes that the new branding will help to make these events possible, with the timing and resources of the group being more expansive than ever before. According to Hart, “we just want to provide a safe space for students to socialize and not think about stress.” The team recognizes that students are under a lot of pressure, so they want to do their best at advertising the different ways students can relieve their stress from their own campus, while also most of, if not the entirety of the overall cost. “We want an engaged campus,” Hart said.

With a host of events coming up, students should be sure to register online if they are interested. It is recommended that students sign up as soon as possible, since many of them are limited in numbers.

Sign up is in the “Weekends at VU” section of the Viterbo website or at www.viterbo.edu/weekends-vu and is purposefully quick and simple. Student Life wants to ensure that nobody misses out on their incredible events, so everyone can spend their weekend relaxing, having a blast, and growing as a community on campus together.