What do breakdancing, stuffed animals and Survivor have in common? They were all features of this year’s All Niter event at Stamp Student Union – an annual carnival of activities, performances and free goodies. For this episode of Offbeat, we interviewed students to see what makes this all nighter worth pulling.
TOLU TALABI: WHEN IT COMES TO EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES POSSIBLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND… THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS. YOU CAN HIT THE BARS ON THE WEEKENDS … OR TUESDAYS IF YOU’RE FEELING LOONEY. YOU CAN CATCH A GAME WITH THE FOOTBALL OR BASKETBALL TEAM. YOU CAN CATCH FREE MOVIES … PLAY SPORTS AND GRAB A BITE OF ICE CREAM. BUT ONE EVENT IS A HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEMESTER: ALL NITER.
STAMP STUDENT UNION HOSTS THE ALL NITER EVERY SEMESTER FOR STUDENTS TO SEE LIVE PERFORMANCES … PARTICIPATE IN GAMES … WIN PRIZES … AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER. I’M TOLU TALABI. FOR THIS EPISODE OF OFFBEAT… WE TRAVELED TO STAMP ON FRIDAY TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT WITH UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
[BOWLING PINS FALLING SOUND]
ABBY CALLAS… THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENT ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS … LIKES TO SEE ALL NITER AS A QUOTE “MENAGERIE OF DIFFERENT STUDENT ORGS AND DEPARTMENTS.”
ABBY CALLAS: “SO THE GOAL IS TO BRING A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TOGETHER IN THE HUB OF CAMPUS” IS THE LINE THAT WE’RE GIVEN… BUT I ALWAYS JUST JOKE IT’S A NIGHT OF FUN AND DIFFERENT FREE STUFF.”
TOLU TALABI: BUT WHEN DID “ALL NITER” GET ITS START? THE FIRST ALL NITER HAPPENED ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1981… WHERE THE HOTTEST ACTIVITIES AT THE TIME INCLUDED BARBEQUE… BLUEGRASS… REGGAE MUSIC AND A TUG OF WAR CONTEST.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES TYPICALLY LASTED UNTIL THREE IN THE MORNING. IN THE MORE THAN FOUR DECADES SINCE… ALL NITER HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT EVENTS AND THEMES. THIS YEAR’S ALL NITER WAS REALITY TELEVISION THEMED. EVENTS INCLUDED A STUDENT SURVIVOR COMPETITION … A RUPAUL-INSPIRED STUDENT DRAG RACE … AND BIG BROTHER BINGO. THE EVENT WAS MARKETED AS QUOTE “THE MOST DRAMATIC ALL NITER EVER…”
ABBY CALLAS: YEAH… SO WE’RE BRINGING REALITY TV SHOW STARS HERE … WE’RE PLAYING REALITY TV IN DIFFERENT ROOMS. THE NAMES ARE SO CREATIVE LIKE IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE LIKE “BRITISH BAKE-OFF BUILD-A-TERP” … “JERSEY SHORE TRUCKER HATS” … “WIPE OUT WITH BIG BALL INFLATABLES” … LIKE IT’S ALL REALITY TV COMPETITION… THEMES… THINGS OF THAT SORT.
TOLU TALABI: LAST YEAR’S ALL NITER FEATURED A “CANDY LAND” THEME. THE YEAR BEFORE THAT CENTERED AROUND TIME TRAVEL… WITH AN ALIEN KERMIT THE FROG BEAMING UP A PREHISTORIC DINOSAUR. IN 2021… ALL NITER WAS A HYBRID EVENT THAT SPANNED ALL OF FEBRUARY BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC . SINCE THEN… THE EVENT HAS TAKEN PLACE DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF FEBRUARY.
AFTER THIS YAP FEST OF A HISTORY LESSON… I’M SURE YOU’RE WONDERING “GEEZ OFFBEAT… WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES IT SO EXCITING?” WELL … MY FELLOW REPORTER CAROLINE PECORA AND I LEARNED ON FRIDAY NIGHT. HERE’S WHAT STUDENTS ENJOYED MOST ABOUT THIS YEAR’S ALL NITER.
ANYONE CAN ATTEND ALL NITER. THAT MEANS SOMEONE LIKE ISAAC WITTE … A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND LONGTIME BREAKDANCER… WAS ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT’S BREAKDANCING BATTLE CIRCUIT … WHICH WAS NAMED AFTER THE HIT REALITY SHOW “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?”
ISAAC WITTE: I ACTUALLY STARTED BREAKDANCING WHEN I WAS FIVE … SO IT WASN’T ANYTHING CRAZY. THIS IS LIKE ONE OF THE SMALLER EVENTS… AND JUST IN TERMS OF LIKE THE ONES I USUALLY GO TO… BUT IT’S A DOPE LOCAL EVENT… SO I WAS JUST PRETTY LIKE… CHILL WHEN I WAS COMPETING.
TOLU TALABI: THE BREAKDANCING COMPETITION… HOSTED BY B-TERPS… QUICKLY GOT HEATED. STUDENTS AND VISITORS SPUN AROUND ONE ANOTHER IN THE STAMP ACTIVITIES ROOM. JUNIOR MATH AND ENGLISH MAJOR ELLA HERR GOT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE BREAKDANCING SCENE. HERE’S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY ABOUT IT.
HERR: “IT WAS REALLY NICE. I’VE NEVER SEEN BREAKDANCING BEFORE… YOU KNOW … I WASN’T ABLE TO SEE PEOPLE AT THE BEGINNING BUT LIKE I FOUND MY WINDOW. AND EVERYONE WAS REALLY GOOD. SO IT WAS NICE.”
[BREAKDANCING BATTLE MUSIC]
TOLU TALABI: EACH ALL NITER COMES WITH EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE THAT STUDENTS CAN ONLY OBTAIN BY ATTENDING THE EVENT. THIS YEAR… THERE WERE FOUR PINS TO COLLECT. THE MERCH FEATURED BACHELOR KERMIT IN A TUXEDO HOLDING A ROSE… TESTUDO WEARING A CHEF’S HAT… ROMAN COLUMNS WITH THE WORDS “STAMP STUDENT SURVIVOR” EMBLAZONED AROUND THEM AND A BLUE “ALL NITER” PIN WITH A STAND-UP MIC LOGO.
ONE ALL NITER HIGHLIGHT THIS YEAR WAS A SURVIVOR THEMED EVENT WHERE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS COMPETED IN CHALLENGES AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. THESE CHALLENGES INCLUDED SCAVENGER HUNTS … TRIVIA AND OTHER GAMES. THE STUDENT GROUP WINNERS RECEIVED MONEY TO USE ON THEIR CLUB’S NEXT EVENT. GRACE ORELLANA … A SENIOR IMMERSIVE MEDIA AND DESIGN MAJOR AND A MEMBER OF UNITED STUDENTS AGAINST SWEATSHOPS LOCAL 54… TALKED TO US ABOUT ONE OF THE MANY CHALLENGES.
GRACE ORELLANA: THE CHALLENGE WAS TO COUNT THINGS IN STAMP… SO WE COUNTED HOW MANY HOURS TERPZONE HAS… HOW MANY PICTURES WERE IN THE FOOD COURT… AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAD THE RIGHT NUMBERS MADE IT TO THE NEXT ROUND. AND THERE’S DIFFERENT THEMES TO EACH ROUND. SO THIS NEXT ROUND… I BELIEVE… IS CALLED BUILDING. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS YET … BUT I’M EXCITED TO FIGURE IT OUT.
TOLU TALABI: AND FIGURE IT OUT THEY DID…
[TEAMS PLAYING STAMP SURVIVOR]
TOLU TALABI: FRESHMAN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR HANNAH SCHEIREY AND FRESHMAN COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR SANJANAA VISWANATHAN WERE IN LINE TO BUILD THEIR OWN STUFFED ANIMALS WHEN THEY TOLD US ABOUT THEIR ALL NITER EXPERIENCES.
HANNAH SCHEIREY AND SANJANAA VISWANATHAN: I MEAN… WE WANT TO WATCH “THE BRITISH BAKE OFF” WHILE WE… AND I THINK THEY’RE PLAYING THE BRITISH BAKE OFF. IT’S LIKE A COMBINED EVENT SO YOU GET TO LIKE BUILD A STUFFED ANIMAL AND THEN ALSO WATCH “THE BRITISH BAKE-OFF” AND LIKE I LOVE COOKING AND BAKING AND SO DOES SHE SO I GUESS IN THAT ASPECT… AND JUST BEING WITH OTHER STUDENTS.
MUCH LIKE THE OTHER EVENTS AVAILABLE FRIDAY NIGHT… THE STUFFED TURTLES … OTTERS … BEAVERS … AND LLAMAS WERE IN LIMITED SUPPLY. SOME SENIOR STUDENTS … INCLUDING COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR KAILI CLARK AND BIOLOGY MAJOR JULIANA CORN … TOLD US ABOUT THE STUFFED ANIMALS THEY CHOSE.
JULIANA CORN: I GOT A LITTLE OCTOPUS BUILD-A-TERP. AS SOON AS I SAW THAT THERE WAS AN OCTOPUS I KNEW I WANTED IT. SO I’M REALLY GLAD THAT THEY STILL HAD THEM WHEN I GOT THERE.
KAILI CLARK: I PICKED A LLAMA BECAUSE IT’S SUPER HUGGABLE … LIKE I JUST HAVE HAD IT UNDER MY ARM SINCE THEN … AND I’VE ALREADY GROWN ATTACHED.
TOLU TALABI: IN THE COLONY BALLROOM… ATTENDEES HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH STAMP’S MINI VERSION OF THE HIT REALITY SHOW WIPEOUT. WE SPOKE TO FRESHMAN BIOENGINEERING MAJOR SOMA HEBBAR ABOUT THEIR TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS DURING THE GAME.
HEBBAR: “HONESTLY… IT DIDN’T LOOK THAT HARD UNTIL I ACTUALLY WENT UP TO THE FRONT AND LOOKED AT IT. AND YEAH… LIKE RECOVERY IS IMPOSSIBLE. LIKE ONCE YOU FALL OFF ONE OF THE BALLS YOU CAN’T GET BACK UP AND … THOSE THINGS ARE SO WOBBLY … I WAS LIKE “OKAY… I’M DONE. I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE.” SO I JUST WALKED OFF. THERE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON SO FAR… OUT OF LIKE 20 PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY COMPLETED IT.”
TOLU TALABI: ON THE OTHER HAND… FRESHMAN BIOCHEMISTRY MAJOR AND SELF PROCLAIMED “WIPEOUT AFICIONADO” BEAU CARTER… MANAGED TO COMPLETE THE COURSE. HIS ADVICE: PERSEVERE NO MATTER WHAT.
BEAU CARTER: “LONG LEGS ARE PREFERRED. I THINK FOR SOMEONE MY SIZE… IT WAS REALLY A CHALLENGE THAT I HAD TO OVERCOME… BEING ON THE SHORTER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM. BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY… IT’S ALL A MINDSET: YOU JUST HAVE TO REALLY WANT IT.”
TOLU TALABI: ALL NITER RAN UNTIL 1 A-M… WHICH WAS TERPZONE-SPONSORED BOWLING. THE EVENT ALSO FEATURED JEOPARDY WITH TERPSVOTE… A COMEDY SHOWCASE…A STUDENT DRAG RACE AND BINGO… WHICH FEATURED MATT AND JAG FROM REALITY TV SHOW BIG BROTHER. ALL NITER HAD SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE … BUT BY THE END OF THE NIGHT… CORN SAID ALL NITER REMINDED HER OF THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY PRESENT AT STAMP.
JULIANA CORN: “I THINK IT’S CUTE … UMD’S SO BIG BUT THINGS LIKE THIS REMIND YOU THAT IT CAN BE A LOT SMALLER, ESPECIALLY LIKE ON CAMPUS IF YOU’RE JUST CONSIDERING ON CAMPUS PEOPLE. I THINK THAT EVENTS LIKE THIS JUST KIND OF HELP REMIND YOU THAT EVEN THOUGH IT’S A HUGE SCHOOL … YOU DO SEE LIKE SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE AND LIKE THERE IS A COMMUNITY WITHIN THE UNDERGRAD POPULATION.”
THIS HAS BEEN ANOTHER EPISODE OF OFFBEAT… A PODCAST FROM THE DIAMONDBACK. I’M YOUR HOST TOLU TALABI. REPORTING FOR THIS EPISODE WAS DONE BY CAROLINE PECORA AND ME. THIS EPISODE’S SCRIPTING AND EDITING WAS DONE BY AARON WRIGHT. FOLLOW OFFBEAT ON TWITTER AT @DBKOFFBEAT AND FOLLOW THE DIAMONDBACK ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM @THEDBK. YOU CAN FIND A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE AT DBKNEWS.COM. IF YOU LIKED THIS EPISODE, TELL YOUR FRIENDS. TAKE CARE.
