With the end of the semester coming around, the  Student Programming Council  hosted their annual Dawgs Nite Out event in the Student Center on Nov. 6. 

Sean Cooney, the coordinator of the Office of Student Engagement, said Dawgs Nite Out is a school event that is a chance for students to hangout, play games and have fun.

“You just come with your student ID, and you get a lot of things that you don’t necessarily just get on a normal daily basis here in Carbondale,” Cooney said. 

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At Dawgs Nite Out they had a variety of events from glow in the dark laser tag, karaoke, balloon artists, inflatables, and free bowling and pool.

“So we’ll have inflatables and ballroom C and D.” Cooney said. There will be glow in the dark laser tag. There’ll be karaoke, there will be bingo, and will have a balloon artist. There will be a photo booth,”

Southern Illinois University Carbondale has hosted Dawgs Nite Out for about 20 years, Cooney said.

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A student volunteer shows off his t-shirt for bingo during Dawg’s Nite Out at the SIU Student Center Nov. 6, 2021 Carbondale, Illinois.

“It’s really an opportunity for them [students] to have a night out with friends, and it’s not going to cost them money,” Cooney said. ”It’s a safe place to be for an evening on a Saturday.” 

Although Dawgs Nite Out was an event for students to relax and have fun, the school still followed the COVID-19 guidelines.

“We’re not required to have social distancing at this point, so just making sure that everyone’s keeping the masks on unless they’re eating and there’s a designated place to eat,” Cooney said.

Emma Lagerhausen, a third-year student who attended the event, said Dawgs Nite Out was a good way to take a break from being a student, and have some fun.

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“It just makes you feel kind of a part of the campus,” Lagerhausen said. 

While she enjoyed this Dawgs Nite, Lagerhausen said she would like to see more activities added.

“There’s so many people here that you’re in line for  an hour to get on any ride or anything,” Lagerhausen said, “I feel like they just need to be prepared for that.” 

Lagerhausen said it would be nice to have more events that students can do at Dawgs Nite Out.

Syd Barnes, a transfer student, said she attended Dawgs Nite Out last year, and enjoyed the activities they had last and this year.

Barnes said at both Dawgs Nites she enjoyed meeting new people and participating in different activities like axe throwing.

Gillian Muré, a third-year  transfer student, said Dawgs Nite is a great way to have fun and meet new people.

“A lot of my friends met their friends like this,” Muré said. “Everything’s open if you’re a student here.”

“You know, it’s been a long semester and it’s been tough and I think our student body deserves a fun evening where they just kind of get to de-stress and relax as we wind up for the holidays and finals week,” Cooney said.

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram at @janiyah_reports. To stay up to date with all your Southern Illinois news follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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