Dartmouth Up All Night, held last Friday night through Saturday morning in the Collis Center, epitomized what the phrase "alternative social option" should mean. Collis was packed with more than 1,000 people singing, dancing, watching movies, playing pool, Nintendo, mahjong, and doing myriad other activities. The event was groundbreaking because those in attendance truly represented Dartmouth's diversity, and a good time was had by all.
While many College-sanctioned events, like Friday Night Dance Club, often fail to be well-attended, something clicked with Up All Night, which provided a genuinely fun social option and attracted hordes of students, featuring a diversity of ethnicity not often seen in other social spheres at Dartmouth.
For sure, Up All Night has room for improvement: the dance in Collis Common Ground drew few people and the raffle was a flop. The event's planners, all students, carried out most things perfectly well. They provided a wide variety of entertainment, they deftly scheduled all the events and organizations throughout the building, and they had plenty of signs and fliers keeping everyone informed as to what was happening where.
Alcohol was available at the Lone Pine Tavern and elsewhere on campus, but drinking played a minor role in the activities. This is the type of event Dartmouth needs to feature more often. Dartmouth Up All Night was a success. Congratulations to its organizers; kudos to its sponsors.
