'Late Night Miami' Program: How It Started And How It's Changing

BY DARICE CHAPEL
Miami University journalism student
As the fall semester starts wrapping up and students start prepping for finals, Late Night Miami is getting ready to host its final events before J-term.

Late Night will offer five events for the balance of the semester: Brooklyn folk rockers Hunt for Hunter will perform Dec. 1, Winter Craft Fair is Dec. 2, Holiday Fest is Dec. 3, a Miami stop of the national "Dear World" project is Dec. 8, and two screenings of the movie "Suicide Squad" are Dec. 9. The Holiday Fest is outdoors, in the Oxford Uptown park, with the rest of the events at Armstrong Student Center.

What is Late Night Miami?

In the fall of 2016, Miami launched Late Night Miami to create alternative on-campus events for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. (In earlier years, the same effort went by such names as Flashback Friday and After Dark.) According to the program's website, a Miami alcohol task force decided that the program would be beneficial after students complained about not having many other late-night activities outside of bar-hopping Uptown. Past events include Casino Night, Haunted House, and weekly movie nights. The events are free and open to to everyone; some students even bring younger siblings to some of the events.

How many students actually attend these events?

If you look on social media or just listen to students talk, you might be under the impression that Late Night Miami attendance rates are low. But Jenny Levering, director of the Office of Student Life, says the numbers are significantly better than what people may think. "We have some events that have 100 people, and we have some events that have 900 people, and then our week of welcome events have 4,000 people."

But Levering also says that high numbers aren't the ultimate goal of Late Night Miami. "I'd rather we have 100 people and they all leave like 'That was the most awesome thing I've ever been to.' "

Why is Late Night programming important?

The Miami Activities and Programming team organizes many of the activities that fall under the Late Night Miami category each year. Ellen Hancock, impact co-chair of MAP, says, "The programming on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays is really important. Starting next semester, Late Night Miami is actually going to be a part of MAP, so that's something that's exciting that's going on because there will be more communication and the resources will be spread out more evenly."

How can more student organizations get involved?

According to Levering, each student organization is eligible for a $2,000 grant through the Student Life office to fund Late Night Miami events. "I think the word's still getting out there that you can sponsor as a student org," said Levering. In order for an event to be considered a Late Night Miami event, it must be on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night between 8 p.m. and midnight.

The Late Night web site includes an application to host events. Groups must be registered on the Hub, draft a budget and submit their application at least a month before their event.

Photos: MAP members stage Casino Night in the Armstrong Student Center, with plenty of food choices. -- Photos by Darice Chapel