The Resident Student Association will be hosting the annual Casino Night event on Saturday, Oct. 20. The event will be available to all students and staff on campus, and will last from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Marshall Hall in the S.U.B.
Casino Night is partly a fundraiser for different parts of Puget Sound. While there is no entry fee to the event, the RSA has stated that a $5 donation is suggested at the door. This money will go toward the RSA Programming Fund, used to financially assist other organizations on campus, as well as the residences of students living on campus.
In addition to monetary gifts, local businesses have given donations to be raffled off during the event. Tickets will be sold over the course of the night for $1 apiece.
“[Casino Night] is a night of fun and entertainment for all of those in the Puget Sound community,” RSA President Emma Spalding said.
She said that Casino Night has been gaining momentum over the past six years, despite a lack of motivation from RSA in the early 2000s.
“It’s been a campus thing for a while, and we want to continue it,” Spalding said. “It’s really a fun event for us to put on.”
This year, RSA is reaching out to a wider group of students by combining two areas of interest. “We want to mix in the themes of a jazz night and casino night, to make it more interesting and more appealing to the student body, so there’s a variety of interests … people would come for different reasons to check it out,” Anna Dovzhik said. Dovzhik, the Green Advocate for Sewlangster, is part of the advertising committee for the event, designing posters and images.
“We wanted to open it up to a wider population of the student body,” Spalding agreed. “We have the regular crowd who enjoys the different casino tables and that sort of gambling atmosphere. However, we wanted to incorporate the dancing aspect so other students can enjoy the night.”
RSA has said that there will be several traditional gambling games at the event, some of which include craps, roulette and blackjack. During the event, student performers will be playing for the attendees and a dance floor. “Students can swing dance the night away if they would like,” Spalding said.
The event has been described as semi-formal, and students and faculty are encouraged to dress up to attend. RSA is providing refreshments as well, creating an enjoyable event for everyone by making the atmosphere pleasant for all members of the Puget Sound community.
To fully extend that pleasantry to as many students as possible, RSA has made sure to allow everyone access through its voluntary donation policy. At the beginning of the event, all participants are given an equal amount of chips with which to play for the evening. Winning chips allows for a longer playtime, but if all chips have been lost, it is the end of the night unless, as Spalding joked, a friend gives you some of theirs.
“There’s a contest to see … the top three winners of the evening,” Spalding continued, adding that those three winners will take home the title of being champion players for this year’s event. But in the end, having a “fun evening” is what counts, allowing participation in Casino Night to convince people to join the event.
RSA strives to bring this event to campus annually, and by participating in these types of activities, students are able to see what can be done with their school. Organizations like the RSA strive to bring out the best in the student body and show how much fun can be had with a little jazz and an atmosphere of games, community and students coming together to enjoy a night of cards.