Renee Christensen

Practicum 297R

 Project purpose or objectives

The purpose of my project was to create and refine MC Date Night.  MC Date Night is a relative new event to campus.  The purpose of this project was to create an inexpensive night where students could participate in good, clean activities that were geared towards dating, not sitting at home in their apartments.

One of our main goals was to get students out of their apartments. Campus Life Events has heard reports from YSA ecclesiastical leaders (bishops) that there were students that had not left their apartments for a semester due to the pandemic. With the continual rise in anxiety and depression on campus we were asked to create events to help get students out of their apartments and connect socially with others. Our mission statement for Campus Life Events in part says we are here to connect students to the university, to each other, and ultimately to the Savior.

Prior to the pandemic and campus closure in March of 2020, Campus Life Events mainly did large scale events attendance was typically 2,500-6,500. Our events were growing in attendance and offerings each semester. The Manwaring Student Center events including dances were turned over to me mid-April 2020 and the work on smaller scale events begun.

The project (samples of the work produced or the final product)

  

 

Singles Lounge Under the Sea                                       

Singles Lounge Entrance

 

Balloon chandelier  

                                                      

Island Treasure escape room

 

Example of flyer    

  

                                                        

Mafia in the President’s Dining Room

 

Escape the YSA                  

Will You Accept This Ring

Challenges encountered in completing the project.

These past few weeks we have learned some very important things for us to keep moving forward with MC Date Night.

The first and main thing that was learned is how important it is to communicate effectively between departments. The ticket office has been selling tickets only to people on actual dates and turning away others if they were not on dates.  This was never the intention of the $6 date price.  It was the intention to encourage dating, but not to turn people away.

The second thing that was learned this week is the importance of having everyone feel like they can attend the event.  While we want to keep the name MC Date Night, we are going to need to do a better job at marketing what MC Date Night includes, and it not just for people on dates, but an event where students can come and connect with each other as well as an inexpensive place to have a date night.

Events have been difficult the past year.  We are expecting event attendance on campus to decrease Spring Semester. Campus will still require masks at events, our capacities are

On March 13^th we added a singles “lounge”.  Table were set up and decorated, fun music was playing, and we had a drink and snack station.  We are going to continue the single’s lounge and develop that activity more.  We have thought about adding the dating game, and maybe speed dating to the area.

We have MC Late Night every Friday night in the Manwaring Center.  We need to make sure that the things that are offered on MC Late Night are different then what we offer on MC Date Night.  MC Date Night we try and focus on a different theme each time the event is held. While we can include elements of MC Late Night at Date Night, the activities that are offered need to be different enough, so the events do not get stale and feel like we are on repeat at each event.

My student coordinator Haylee has done an awesome job with MC Date Night.  She is always willing to look at what is going good with Date Night and where we can improve.  With the semester coming to an end in a few weeks Haylee and I are focusing on what we will be offered Spring Semester.

 Project processes

This is the process that we follow for our events, we followed the same process when creating Date Night

Date Night

Theme/Name

            A semester in advance

• What will the theme of this event be? Examples for I-Talent, Greatest Showman, The Golden Globe awards, etc.

• What will this event be called if not a recurring event? 

Plan Specific Events

            Six weeks in Advance

• What will be happening at this event? What games, prizes, activities, etc. will be taking place?

Room Reservations

            Needs to be checked at 1 month, at 2 weeks, and 1 week.

• If this is a recurring event the reservations should already be scheduled. Talk to Sister C, the Director, or Program Assistant to see what rooms are already reserved. Please go through and see what might need changed or added on.

Supply List/Decorations

            3 weeks before if not more.)

• What will you need at the event? Examples, Tables, Chairs, Decorations, Materials, Prizes, etc.
• Do we already have it or do we need to buy it?
• Have you checked with the front desk, checked the dungeon, talked to the Director, The Program Assistant, or Sister C to see if we have it?
• If we need to buy it, find where we can buy it. If it's on Amazon compile all the links on a word document with links, pictures, the price, and quantity for Sister C. If you need to buy it from the store talk to the Program Assistant or the Director to get the purchasing card. Make sure to get a receipt and the tax-exempt number.
• If you need to get food from Catering make sure to get it approved through sister C and then talk to the Program Assistant to get the food reserved. (Must be done 2 weeks before the event or you will not get your food.)
• Make sure to get your supply list to the Set-up crew at least a week if not more before the event.

Event Layout

• Start making floor plans of how everything will be set up and in what rooms. 

• Double check that the Room Reservations are still correct and that you have all the right supplies in the right rooms on the reservation such as chairs, tables, etc. Anything that custodial or event services might need to do, even just clearing the room.

Advertising

3 weeks but preferably more before the event.

• At the beginning of the semester, you should make an advertising plan for the whole semester. You should coordinate this with Sister C, the Social Media coordinator, the Director, and the Program Assistant.
• Make sure to talk to the Social Media Coordinator to have your Instagram and other platforms ready.
• Coordinate with Sister C to get print materials from either Promotions or UR for your event. (UR usually needs to know 6 weeks ahead of time)

Meetings

• Make sure to have all the above ready for your weekly planning meeting with sister C and the other groups on campus.
• Make sure to have your tech sheets done at least 2 weeks before the event and sent over to AV services.
• Make sure to Coordinate with the Music Coordinator to have the music you want at the event. Depending on the event this might also need to be sent over to AV services.
• Make sure to call the Student Events Coordinator in the MC. Make sure you are both on the same page. Try to do this the week before the event.
• Meet with the set-up Crew and make sure that everyone is on the same page on supplies and where they go and when you will be setting up.

Volunteers

• During the Semester remember to ALWAYS be looking for volunteers. Volunteers are the key to success.
• Make sure to try to make your volunteer committee early one. The people you pick should be able to help on a recurring basis and understand the mission of CLE and Student Support. These committees are where we usually pull from when we need to higher new council members. 
• Please make sure to have called your volunteers at least a week before the event. Also call them a couple times the week of the event and make sure that they will be there on time for training.

Set Up

• Make sure to have plenty of time to set up. For some events like Escape Night, you might need to start setting up the day before. Each event requires different amounts of time for set up but it’s always to start set up earlier than you think.
• As you set up make sure that you have talked with the Event Coordinator from the MC. They will be the person who unlocks any doors if you need them as well as if you are missing certain supplies.
• Set up crew should be there to help if you need anything else brought up from the Dungeon as well as Set up any pipe and drape for you. They should also bring all your supplies from the DUNGEON to you. They will not bring stuff from the Biddulph.
• Do not forget to check out polos from the PA and bring your waivers if you need any.

Running the Event

• During COVID please make sure that everyone at all times are following CDC guidelines and wearing masks. Ask your volunteers to be watching out for this.
• Make sure your Volunteers get there at least 30 minutes early to pick up Polos and to train on whatever event they are running.
• If any injuries occur, please make sure to call Sister C as well as fill out an accident form. You will be required to turn one in.

Clean Up

• Cleaning up the event is JUST AS IMPORTANT as setting up the event. Make sure to train you volunteers on how to put things back the way they found them. Keeping things organized during cleanup will help us stay on time in future events.
• You will oversee bringing all the materials back to where they came from. The set-up crew will be in the dungeon to accept things but they will not come pick them up. 
• Do not forget to get ALL your polos back from your volunteers or you run the risk of receiving the wrath of the Program Assistant. (Me)
• Make sure to assign volunteers what area to clean up specifically so they know that once the event is over, they shouldn’t just leave. Clarifying with them will help you and them get out as fast and efficiently as possible.

Event Review and Storage

• The next day at work you should make sure that everything goes back into storage and put away exactly where it came from.
• Don’t forget to fill out a review form on how the event went, what was good, what could have been better, how can we improve this event?

 

An overview of the experiences you had

Date Night had some traction the beginning of the semester. There have been frustrations throughout the semester.  The first being the mask mandate on campus.  Other events going on in Rexburg did not have the same requirements. This is also expected to be a hinderance for the spring semester campus events.

Campus Life Events are restricted on how we advertise for an event, and the wording that we can use.  We have been asked not to use words that convey exciting, big, or fun. The University is taking a conservative approach with the size of our gathering.

Despite these things that made creating and holding events extremely difficult we will continue to move forward.  We believe that spring semester we will only have Date Night once a month on Saturdays rotating the other Saturday nights with a talent event.  We were able to fine tune some of our offerings at the events and

What insights or takeaways you gained from the project

There is still a lot of work to be done in refining the Date Night Event.  The name might need to be reconsidered.  A responsibility on Campus Life Events is to make sure that there are good things happening on campus and to get students involved.  We want to give students options that we do have fun things to do on campus.

Our numbers increased when we had comedy shows participate with our Date Night event.  We are in the process of improving the comedy teams and we hope to be able to use them at our Date Night events as well as at MC Late Night.

As the days got warmer our numbers decreased, as they typically do for campus events.  We are hoping to get approvals to hold some of the spring semester events outside, however if students still have to wear masks when they participate at an outdoor campus venue it will be hard to get students to want to participate if they have the options to go elsewhere and not have to wear a mask.