Southern Miss Activities Council, also known as SMAC, recently hosted a Neon Skate Party where all students on campus can come. The event was held at the Thad Cochran Center Ballroom from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., where student ID was required for entry.
The night included food, music, a photo booth, and of course skates. And music was provided by DJ Kujho.
Analisa Cheairs, a SMAC member and coordinator of Skate Night, stated that their goal was to provide the students with an event that they would enjoy but hadn’t seen from SMAC yet.
“Skate Night was both a new event for SMAC and fun for the students,” Cheairs said. “Members of our organization and student body had requested it as a potential event during last semester. They asked, we listened and then executed.”
The problem that SMAC was having was the spacing of the event. They needed an area big enough to accommodate everything comfortably. They also needed to be able to check people in, sign waivers, and hand out skates within that area.
Therefore, SMAC spent a lot of time hunting for a space that would allow students to comfortably fit as well as easily organize their stations.
“Our students seem to enjoy the neon theme from our past events, so we decided to stick with it,” said Cheairs. “The most rewarding part of the event was to see everyone genuinely enjoying the event. There wasn’t anyone who looked bored or unsatisfied with the event. They all were happy to be there and continued to skate at whatever time slot was available.”
Cheairs also stated that the students have requested this event be returned to SMAC calendars in the coming school year. However, it’s not something the organization has yet confirmed nor denied returning in the following year.
SMAC will be returning with more events throughout this semester including Mental Health Day, Movie Night, Crawfest, and Late Night Meal just to name a few.
The process to become a member of SMAC begins each spring with a Membership Drive in March and group and individual interviews in April for choice of the membership for the next academic year.
If you would like to get a feel for what SMAC does and gain experience on how-to put-on events, you can check out SMAC programs that are offered for bigger events each semester. Be sure to follow SMAC on Facebook and Instagram for more details on the membership drive or events.