By Ralph Gabriel Parcon
Casino Night is one of the school’s biggest events of the year. The primary organizer of the event is the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
Last year’s Casino Night had the theme of Masquerade. This year, the theme was Greek Garden, so people were encouraged to wear white, brown, or light blue attire. 200 to 250 people attended in their fanciest outfits for an exciting night.
Laura Espinosa, president of CAB, gave some insight into how the event was put together.
“To physically set up, it takes about six hours, but we have started coordinating and planning since the start of the academic school year,” she said. “Our special events committee usually chooses the theme, and shares theme options with the board. We then give [different] opinions and decide as a group.”
The dealers at the event are usually faculty members, and CAB contacts them about two months in advance from different departments on campus.
“We also try to always invite staff members who have consistently shown love and interest to not only Casino Night, but to CAB in general,” she said. “We are always looking for new staff to deal for this event! Availability also plays a huge role in this.”
There were multiple tables set up for playing blackjack with a dealer at each table. Several betting tables and one high roller table were there too.
After you registered, you were given a cup marked with the CAB logo that contained a raffle ticket and several poker chips for use at the tables.
Some of the prizes being raffled were gift cards, a bean bag, home appliances, an iPad, and headphones. The winners of the raffle prizes would then be announced once the event had ended.
People who were both attending and working at the event loved the atmosphere.
“It is a fun tradition [because] it brings the majority of students together,” said Maria Villanueva, a program coordinator. “It is a good way to get engaged.”
Mio Kawai and Ren Ibaraki, exchange students from Japan, attended the event to get a taste of what Casino Night was all about.
“It was one of my best experiences during my time abroad,” Kawai said.
Tony Mena, one of the event workers, said the event emulates the gambling experience in a friendly way.
“It is a way to enjoy the experience without the risks”, he said.
Andrew Nunez, an executive board member for CAB and the cochair for publicity, said that it was one of the best turnouts for Casino Night.
For the event, Nunez wore a Greek toga with a crimson sash wrapped around his shoulder, along with a gold-leafed crown, making him easily identifiable as one of the event’s organizers.
Jared Bandi, a senior majoring in computer science, had never been to Casino Night until he decided to go this year with his friends.
“[I have] been missing out on the past four years on great memories, with friends, colleagues, and classmates, and people that I can now call family,” Bandi said. “If you’re too cool for Casino Night, you’re not. Get out there, meet people, play poker, and have a great time.”
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