By Racquel Joseph
When night falls on Friday, August 27, about 6,500 students will rush into the doors of the McLane Student Life Center and marvel at its transformation. In place of the normal crowd milling around in workout gear will be thousands of students exploring organizations, intramurals, and entertainment.
The McLane Student Life Center, commonly known as the SLC (pronounced slick), was completed in 1999. “Late Night at the SLC” has been a first-week-of-school tradition at Baylor since 2001. According to Jeff Walter of Campus Recreation, the event was originally designed as a showcase for the recreational facilities of the SLC itself. The first year, around 2,000 students attended. A few years after, the student organization fair was added through a partnership with Student Activities and attendance doubled. The result is an event that threatens to outgrow the building. Walter describes it as a loud, crowded, interactive, over-the-top three hours that will give students one more reason to be glad they chose Baylor.
More than 100 tables will line the walls, one for each of the 130 organizations represented. Many organizations use the fair as an opportunity to publicize their major events for the semester and recruit new members.
The first intramural game of dodgeball will be in the SLC gym. The racquetball courts will hold dance classes, mini-bingo halls, carnival booths, and mini-golf courses. Students can climb the rock wall and enjoy free food and Dr. Pepper. The latest addition to the tradition will be a live performance by worship band Dutton on the SLC’s outside courts.
The primary goal of “Late Night at the SLC” is to get students interested in campus involvement. The sheer scale of opportunities featured at Late Night gives students the confidence to know that their interests are represented in the spectrum of student organizations and campus recreation.
Late Night at the SLC is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. – 12 a.m.
