Glow Bingo returns as a Homecoming event for the fourth year in a row Wednesday from 8:30 to 10 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union Monaghan Ballroom.
This year, Late Night Marquette will host the event rather than the Residence Hall Association, which hosted in the past. Alexis McClain, a junior in the College of Communication, and Margaret Millerick, a sophomore in the College of Communication, are program assistants for Late Night Marquette. They have experience planning bingo at the Union Sports Annex every other Wednesday, as well as other events like trivia and pop quiz.
Millerick said the pair sought to keep Glow Bingo similar to how RHA ran the event in years past, due to its previous success and popularity among students. However, they still aim to make the event exciting and unique.
“I think what makes this Glow Bingo different is we are focusing more on what students want to see. Each bingo caller and prize was derived from the question ‘how can we make this the best experience for our students?’ as they are one of our main priorities,” McClain said in an email.
Glow Bingo will have ten rounds with a variety of prizes, including a dinner with University President Michael Lovell and a meet-and-greet with Homecoming performer Alessia Cara, Millerick said.
McClain said the ballroom will be filled with more than 1,000 glow sticks, necklaces, bracelets and foam sticks.
The different bingo rounds will have different announcers from various campus groups. Millerick said announcers will include Lovell, Marquette men’s basketball players Markus Howard and Greg Elliott and Marquette women’s basketball players Tori McCoy and Altia Anderson.
Junior in the College of Education Carissa Burnes was one of two winners of the final prize of the night last year: a dinner with Lovell and his wife Amy. The prize was supposed to be for one winner to invite nine friends to go to share a meal at the Lovells’ house, but because there were two bingo winners, Burnes said, each brought four friends.
Burnes said her bingo win was especially exciting for her friend.
“I knew my friend really wanted to go to dinner at President Lovell’s house, so I guess I was excited for that part, like bringing her along,” she said.
The dinner took place shortly after winter break. The meal included steak, chicken, seasoned broccoli and mashed potatoes, with cake and Rice Krispies Treats for dessert, Burnes said.
While not every participant will walk away a winner, all will have the opportunity to receive giveaways. The first 200 participants to arrive to Glow Bingo will receive a free pair of LED sunglasses, and the next 300 will get a foam glow stick, Millerick said. Beyond that, there will be enough glow sticks for all, Millerick said.
