Oakland University’s Student Program Board — also known as SPB — hosted OU’s very own silent disco in the Oakland Center banquet rooms on Oct. 16, 2024.
Contrary to a traditional disco, the silent disco allows attendees to choose what music they dance to with three different options of radio hosts playing at all times.
The disco was highly anticipated this year — and for good reason.
“Silent Disco is a great release, especially during this time when a lot of kids have midterms,” said Hailey Chisholm, technical director of SPB and this events coordinator. “It’s nice to get lost in the headphones and shake off some tension from the school year.”
Students were greeted with a variety of disco gear including glasses, necklaces and rings to incorporate into their party outfits. Glow sticks — staple for the event — were also given out to party goers.
“Decoration would emphasis cool lighting, kind of matching how the headphones glow with the color of you chosen channel,” Chisholm said.
Attendees picked up a pair of wireless headphones to begin their experience. From there, they got to pick between three different stations playing blue, green and red.
Everyone had a chance at catching their favorite tunes with songs ranging from party classics like “Cupid Shuffle” by Cupid to “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny and even “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus.
Throughout the night, different hosts held call and response segments between songs and encouraged crowd participation.
One of the unique differences between this and a normal disco is that if you were tired or simply needed a break, slipping off the headphones offered a relief.
Along with this, it was also entertaining to hear a call and response without being on the same channel or hearing the ooo’s and ahh’s to certain songs without knowing what they were beforehand.
All of this doesn’t happen without extensive planning by SPB’s E-Board.
“Most of our events have large lead time. We started planning Silent Disco in mid-June,” said Matthew Murray, president of SPB. “It involves contacting vendors, ordering supplies, and planning the layout for the event.”
As the crowd dwindled down and the DJ’s were slowly saying goodbye, the night of dancing was over. Aside from the entertainment and glamor of it all, the disco is also a great opportunity for first years to branch out and explore events around campus.
“It opened my eyes to all the fun opportunities there are on campus, which is a great way to find your place as a freshman,” Molly Kilpela, a freshman attendee, said.
The Silent Disco was a great night for first years and upperclassmen alike with a good mix of music, food and friends to fill a night’s worth of entertainment.
For more events hosted by SPB such as GrizzHunt, which begins on Oct. 24, Onigiri Action for charity on Oct. 29, Haunted Hallways in the Oakland Center on Oct. 31 and more, you can visit their GrizzOrgs or their Instagram at @spbou.
