By Chris Hoff, Steve Ryan & Andrea Moore

As representatives of late night programming at Marquette, we are concerned with the claims of Tuesday's staff editorial about the lack of fun weekend options within the Marquette community. The Tribune staff seems to have neglected to research the actual number of late night opportunities available to students on and off campus. Criticism of late night programming is fair, and even welcome, so we are able to improve but we want to clarify some facts about Late Night Marquette events.

Late Night Marquette programming is defined as any event that occurs at or after 9 p.m. any night of the week. Late Night isn't just the bigger multi-activity events in the Alumni Memorial Union, but also events sponsored by Marquette Student Government, Residence Hall Association and other student organizations. These events include MU Game Show, Spelling Bee, bands at the Annex, movies in the Varsity Theatre, bowling, speakers, comedians, dances and any other Marquette University sponsored activity that happens late at night. The best way to find out about these offerings is to check out http://latenight.marquette.edu. Updated weekly, the Web site highlights and provides links to upcoming bands, speakers and other performers.

Milwaukee may have a large number of bars, but living in a large, metropolitan city also means there are plenty of other events taking place. Milwaukee has a plethora of coffee shops, restaurants, movie theaters, concerts, comedy clubs and sporting events. A Late Night Marquette Passport to Milwaukee is being finalized and will be distributed at the beginning of next semester. This guide will contain a detailed listing of businesses throughout Milwaukee that cater to students and insider tips to getting the best deals. As event programmers, we are always looking for feedback and new participants to make late night events more fun for everyone. Ideas, opinions, and suggestions should be sent to [email protected]. Students and student organizations interested in helping to plan and implement events after 9 p.m. are encouraged to e-mail the above address and get involved. We are here to make things happen and to do it better, we have to hear from you. If it's "not fun" for you, let us know what would be fun. Late Night Marquette is for all students, so speak up!

Hoff is MUSG program vice president and a senior in the College of Health Sciences. Ryan is a Late Night program assistant and a sophomore in the School of Education and College of Arts & Sciences. Moore is a Late Night program assistant and a senior in the College of Business Administration.

This viewpoint was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.