On Wednesday Sept. 29, Oakland University’s Student Program Board (SPB) hosted a fun, getaway event by Elliott Tower for students to relieve their stress and anxiety from academics: movie night.

As the first-time premiere event, movie night presented “Monster’s University” — projected on a large projection screen outside. By hosting the event for three consecutive years with a positive return and evaluation, the SPB hopes to turn the movie night into an annual event.

“The night was a success,” Joshua Robinson, president of the SPB said. “The event went excellent, especially as we navigate this uncertain period of transition involving reduced COVID-19 restrictions.”

To follow the university’s guideline for COVID-19, SPB made sure all 178 students that attended the event maintained their distance from each other, but still enjoyed the night.

Two students — Ashlyn Foreman and Julia Lake, both juniors at OU — shared their experience from the night:

How was the movie night?

Foreman: “The night was a lot of fun. I went with one of my friends and the movie was very fitting and cute to be shown on campus. The snacks were also an added bonus.”

Lake: “The night was a perfect way to come back to the normal fall semester. I went with my friends and it was so nice to be outside while watching a movie. SPB provided awesome snacks.”

What does it feel like to be able to have in-person events you weren’t able to due to COVID-19?

Foreman: “It’s nice to have in-person events again. With this one [the movie] being outside, it was able to be distanced but was also so nice to be able to see other students again. It gave the sense of community that seemed to be missing with the online classes and no events.”

Lake: “Having this event in person and outside felt like normal. It was extremely pleasing to see so many people attend and not have to worry. It felt as if almost everyone needed that, or wanted it to feel like how it was before COVID-19.”

According to Robinson, the upcoming ticketed trips include the Lions game on Oct. 17 and HalloWeekend trip to Cedar Point on Oct. 30, both with transportation. The cost for the Lions game is $30, while that of the HalloWeekend is $40. Tickets for both trips are currently on sale at the Office for Student Involvement (OSI).

For more information about upcoming events or to RSVP, visit the OSI website or SPB website.