The Associated Students of Madison and the Student Activity Center are teaming up to host the first annual Move Out Night this summer.
The Student Activity Center will be open for 24 hours on Move Out Night, to be held from Friday, Aug. 14 to Saturday, Aug. 15, and is designed to give students a free and safe shelter during the 24-hour lapse between many Madison property leases.
The concept of move-out night was first introduced when former ASM Vice Chair Hannah Karns conducted a survey of 4,000 randomly selected students. The survey asked what improvements students wanted to see on campus in regard to Madison property leases.
“One thing that they identified was that they needed a place to go outside of their elements so they wouldn’t need to sleep in their cars, or go all the way home for one night,” Karns said. “I identified the SAC as sort of the best place on campus to house people during this 24-hour period.”
According to Karns, the third and fourth floors of the Student Services Building on East Campus mall will be open for those shelter-less students from 12 p.m. Aug. 14 to 12 p.m. Aug. 15.
“Students will have to present a student ID to remain in the building, and the doors will close at midnight for safety precautions,” Karns said. “We’re really just trying to anticipate any problems because bar time is at 2 a.m. and that helps prevent alcohol-related services.”
Karns added the 15th session of ASM was very enthusiastic about the idea.
Since ASM has eagerly given the event the green light, Karns said, the student government must hammer out the details over the next few months. The committee will continue to work with University Housing and campus police to ensure the success of the event.
Karns added students who participate will be offered refreshments throughout the night.
“The students I’ve spoken with outside of ASM thought it was a great idea as well,” Karns said. “The students could all be together in an alcohol-free environment for the night, swapping stories about moving out.”
SAC Governing Board Chair Lauren Vollrath agreed the university has long needed something like this for those 24 hours when leases switch.
“Something had to be done about move-out night, ” Vollrath said. “And it’s really good that ASM is taking this on. We voted to approve the idea on April 26, and from what I’ve heard, people are really liking the idea.”
Vollrath added she encouraged the 60-plus student organizations to be present the night of the sleepover to publicize their purposes and recruit potential new members. Vollrath also said she hopes the event will be successful and continue into the into the future.
