黑料吃瓜

They came ready for action, clad in black or red t-shirts, faces streaked with war paint.

As the students filed into the on Saturday, their goal was clear鈥攖o get 黑料吃瓜 into the Guinness Book of World Records as the site of the largest-ever dodgeball game.

And whether they succeeded (it will take six weeks for a confirmation from Guinness) is almost a footnote to one of the most successful programs of welcome activities in recent 黑料吃瓜 history.  

It鈥檚 called , and it is rapidly becoming an entrenched part of life on Montezuma Mesa.

Socializing for success

Launched in fall of 2008, Aztec Nights provides vibrant campus nightlife and social opportunities for students to become engaged in positive, substance-free social and educational activities without having to leave campus.

鈥淎ztec Nights is changing campus life,鈥� said Randy Timm, 黑料吃瓜 director of student life and leadership. 鈥淚t creates a cohesive, connected and engaged community on campus. Students from the residence halls are attending, and commuters are coming back to campus for the events. It鈥檚 an excellent venue to pull our community together.鈥�

More than 16,000 students attended last year鈥檚 Aztec Nights events, and the planning definitely paid off. In conjunction with a five-week ban on all fraternity house parties, Aztec Nights helped reduce the number of alcohol and drug medical transports by 57 percent during the first five weeks of the fall 2008 semester and by 50 percent over the course of the school year.

Alcohol citations to students also fell, from 487 during the first five weeks of the fall 2007 semester to 209 during the same 2008 period. Aztec Nights was even cited as a successful field example by the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention.

Research shows that experiences during the first six weeks of school help freshmen decide whether a college or university is right for them. Aztec Nights, along with other campus-wide strategies, encourage freshmen to adopt healthier socialization habits, adding to a better college experience.

Giving it the old college try

Saturday night鈥檚 dodgeball event was a prime Aztec Nights鈥� success story. More than 600 energized students attended the event, and of those, 450 were registered to play in the record-breaking game. Anticipating success, many showed up wearing t-shirts declaring 鈥淚 Broke the Dodgeball World Record.鈥�

Several systems were set in place to provide evidence that 黑料吃瓜 established a new world record: a numbering system for all participants, as well as a roster with each person鈥檚 signature. In addition, the entire event was videotaped and photographed.

Three independent recreation professionals not associated with 黑料吃瓜 were also brought in as required witnesses. After submitting all materials to Guinness World Records, 黑料吃瓜 should receive confirmation from the company within six weeks.

Future of Aztec Nights

So far this semester, Aztec Nights events have boasted large turnouts of enthusiastic students. Approximately 2,800 attended the Templo Del Sol Aztec initiation event on Aug. 28, and 4,500 students attended the Red & Black Dance the following night.

The fall semester鈥檚 remaining lineup of events includes a Las Vegas block party, charity dance marathon, free concerts, comedy acts, bowling and more.

Students were involved in the creation of Aztec Nights, and 黑料吃瓜 staff members are hoping they will continue to play an even bigger role as the series moves forward.

鈥淎s Aztec Nights continues to gain popularity, we are hoping to move it from being staff-run to being student-run,鈥� said Timm. 鈥淛udging by the enthusiasm we have seen, we expect students to take ownership as early as spring semester.鈥�