Anyone on campus who has sought out something fun to do on a weekend night has undoubtedly attended one of Geneseo Late Knight-sponsored events. By working with student organizations, the staff of GLK is able to encourage leadership and planning skills while keeping attendees entertained.
GLK first began as the brainchild of Robert Bonfiglio, vice president for Student and Campus Life, and Charles "Chip" Matthews, the director of the MacVittie College Union.
"Chip Matthews was the visionary of Late Knight," said co-supervisor Ben Delozier. "He developed the program into what it could be."
While the idea of late-night programming was relatively new at the time GLK was founded in 2003, such programs had been successful at other colleges around the nation.
Late Knight programs, which range from visiting speakers to laid-back arts and crafts, typically entail the involvement of one or more student groups.
"The real goal of Late Knight is to provide student organizations the opportunity to showcase their programming abilities in a way they wouldn't be able to normally," Delozier said.
Usually, a student group brings an idea for an event to the GLK staff, which then develops the idea with the group. GLK budgets 300 dollars to organizations for their event, enabling them to pay for an event's costs. "The event becomes theirs," said co-supervisor Suzanne Sharp. Sharp and Delozier encourage student groups to work together, such as in the upcoming multicultural formal, "Winter Ball."
Sharp and Delozier credited the success of GLK this year to their expanded staff. Along with the two supervisors, coordinator Karen Clark oversees all Late Knight events and meets with student organizations. "She is Late Knight," said Sharp.
Junior Ashley Saltzman has found a passion for Late Knight through her marketing internship. "The staff that I work with is great," she said. "I'm given so much creativity to run with the programming I want to do. Part of our mission is to let student organizations run their own programming, so we bring some great programs to the campus."
According to Sharp, such internships offer "a new connection to the student body and always bring in new ideas," said Sharp.
Sharp added, "Every Friday and Saturday night, there is always something going on." According to Delozier, 30,000 students had attended Late Knight events in the Spring of 2007, up from 10,000 attendees in 2003. The efforts of those involved with GLK, along with the many organizations that create and run events, have made the program a success.