Students at Cougar Village came together for a night of karaoke, free food, video games and fun as the Residence Hall Association hosted the end-of-the-year Pajama Jam Thursday night in the Cougar Village Main Lobby.
The event featured a variety of activities, as students drifted between singing karaoke and playing rounds of Just Dance 2, a dancing game on the Wii. A huge spread of food was available for students, including sandwiches, party platters, and fruit fondue, and students were given a number of free giveaways, including t-shirts.
Rymonda Davis, a Media Studies Junior and president of the RHA, said they came up with the event after trying to figure out a way to help out students with the stresses of finals week. The organization thought of the celebration as a way to help students cope.
“We wanted to celebrate the end of the semester before finals,” Davis said. “The RHA was pretty active this year, and we’re hoping that this will set the tone for next semester and help reach out to underclassmen.”
RHA member Bryan Haver, a business freshman, said that the event was geared toward making the student experience as great as they can make it.
“We’re using student fees, so we want to make sure that the student’s time here is as awesome as possible,” Haver said.
Political Science Freshman Karynecia Conner belted out a number of songs at the karaoke set-up, as she performed a wide range of music sang ranging from N-Sync to Beyonce. She said that she got pulled into the festivities as she walked past the event, and that she was having a blast singing karaoke for the first time.
“I love it. I’m having a great time — there’s a healthy atmosphere here where you don’t have to worry about making a fool of yourself,” Conner said. “The RHA always has great programs running here. I actually hope to join them one day.”
Chris Martinez, a Mechanical Engineering Junior, agreed, as he stated that the night was a great experience.
“It’s a pretty cool event. I got a free T-shirt, and now, I’m about to watch one of my friends sing too,” laughed Martinez.