Tash Mahnokaren
Staff Writer
If you’ve flipped through Idaho State University’s events calendar recently, the activities open to students, staff and faculty are plenty.
The staff of the Student Activities Board (SAB) and the Early Learning Center (ELC) are behind these entertainment options.
Parents’ Night Out, an event co-hosted by the SAB and ELC, is one of these options.
The event provides an opportunity for ISU parents to have a night to themselves at the Bengal Theater, while they enjoy free childcare provided by the Early Learning Center.
One doesn’t have to be a parent to know that children require a lot of time and attention. Parenting, coupled with life’s other obligations, often leaves no time for personal leisure.
“Once you have kids, your life focus is shifted,” said Kourtney McConnell, entertainment coordinator for the Student Activities Board.
For most parents childcare options can sometimes pose a hindrance. Finding individuals with whom to entrust one’s children may be an uncomfortable issue.
This is why the staff at the SAB has partnered with the Early Learning Center to create Parents’ Night Out, an event for ISU’s parent population.
“People really enjoy it,” said McConnell of the event.
“This is because they are always on Friday nights and they don’t have to go to work on Saturdays. They don’t have classes, so they can stay out late,” she continued.
Parents’ Night Out takes place once a month. During this event, parents are encouraged to meet for a movie at the Bengal Theater.
“ISU is a non-traditional campus and us, as a Student Activities Board, want to encourage non-traditional students, who probably don’t have a lot of chances to go out and participate in campus activities,” said McConnell.
Last Friday, Feb. 7, ISU held Parents’ Night Out in concurrence with a murder mystery dinner and live entertainment.
Titled “Murder at the Masquerade,” the dinner included a performance. During dinner, clues were collected from attendees and questions were asked of their whereabouts. This information was then used to solve the mystery of the murder.
“The company that we had come down performed a murder,” said McConnell. “During the earlier course of the event, a murder occurred for the night and attendees were asked to figure out who had committed it.”
The whole night, while people were being served their dinner, questions were asked to find out who committed the murder. At the end of the event, the clues that were collected previously were put together to figure out the identity of the murderer.
As organizers, the staff at the SAB strives to see the fruits of their labor.
“Because of the murder mystery dinner, I wanted a higher turnout,” said McConnell.
One of the biggest issues the SAB faces with Parents’ Night Out is the low turnout rate. McConnell said that with competition in getting their ad to stand out, it is hard to inform individuals of this event.
“It is all about word of mouth,” McConnell said. “People need to know that Parents’ Night Out is an actual event.”
Chances are that some of the people who sit next to you in one of your classes, or simply the individuals you encounter on a daily basis, are ISU parents. You heard it from McConnell herself: word of mouth is key.
Go ahead and spread the word about Parents’ Night Out.
