MAACness goes wild for basketball season

By Oliver Joszt

“I couldn’t have done it without them, especially the Emerging Leaders,” Iacovelli said. “It makes a great community builder.”

But before the big event, SEC will be hosting the pre-MAACness party.

“A Philadelphia Zoo booth with real animals, a caricaturist and a balloon artist,” said Scott Brewer, SEC general board member. “The first 400 people will receive stuffed zoo animals.”

After pre-MAACness ends, students will be shuffled from the SRC to the Alumni Gym where the hallway “is going to be converted into a rainforest filled with artificial birds and flowers,” according to Iacovelli.

“Before students enter the gym there will be a park entrance, water fountain, trees and grass,” she said. “There will even be a 20-by-40 mural, like a zoo mural.”

Once inside, students can experience a real zoo environment. The Alumni Gym will be filled with decorations to bring alive the feeling of being a part of the Broncs’ Zoo.

“One side will be set up like an African safari with animals such as zebras,” said Iacovelli. “The other side of the gym will be set up like an arctic zone filled with penguins and other animals.”

Students can expect free food, music and T-shirt giveaways once inside. Jamiyl Mosley, director of residence life, emceeing the event once again, “will be on a stage that looks like a safari truck, ” said Iacovelli.

Of course, the challenge of MAACness always seems to lie in topping the previous year’s theme. But students who are involved with the planning, such as junior Edward Barchowski, believe that MAACness 2007 will be a much bigger hit than last year’s.

“Last year, Fright Night was a big hit because of the Haunted Hallway that the students had to walk through,” said Barchowski, who is the Lawrenceville SGA events coordinator. “So in order to achieve the same satisfaction of the students, we are trying to use that same approach with this year’s theme.

“There are also going to be more activities to participate in while the students are in line to enter the gym. This will definitely set the mood for Midnight MAACness and get the students excited and pumped up even before they are allowed in.”

The night will end with the men’s and women’s basketball teams coming out for their first practice, while fans cheer them on and show their support.

“The atmosphere in general is great,” said junior Maura Gillooly, who has played two years on the women’s basketball team. “Everyone comes out to support you. We don’t get that a lot in games.”

Student support is incredibly important to pump up the men’s and women’s basketball teams when they come out, according to Barchowski.

“The students’ satisfaction and attitude really set the tone for Midnight MAACness,” he said. “They are the motivation and the support that the athletes need to win and become champions of the MAAC. Go Broncs!”

Pre-MAACness starts in the SRC at 7:30 p.m. Doors open for Midnight MAACness at 10:30 p.m. in the Alumni Gym.