SGA | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University’s student governing body, while on a budget, hopes to bring back Raider Nights in the City, a variety of off-campus events and trips for enhanced student experience.
What is it?
According to the Student Government Association Chief of Staff Ryan Diaz, the Raider Nights in the City program is an opportunity for students to purchase relatively cheap tickets for events around the Dayton area.
“It originated from last year’s SGA President, Jonathan Ciero, when he wanted to give students opportunities to enjoy events we might otherwise not easily get to go to,” Diaz said.
Current SGA President Blake Bailey mentioned that there were personal favorites from last year’s Raider Nights in the City. The president hopes to implement some this year; including Dayton Dragons games, hockey games, theater performances and other excursions.
Dean of Students Chris Taylor provided financial and practical benefits of the program.
“It involved a series of events for which SGA supplemented ticket costs and provided transportation,” Taylor said.
What to expect this year
This year, SGA did not receive adequate funding for Raider Nights in the City. This did not stop the organization, which continues to discuss and plan events for students this year.
“It was determined that SGA didn’t need [Student Organization Budget Committee] funding for this event since our organization exists primarily to represent the student body and not to plan events. We are also planning on obtaining the funding from the president’s office or other sources like we did last year,” Diaz said.
According to Bailey, if there were to be events held this semester, the group would take students ice skating and wait until the Spring to plan an eventful trip to Kings Island or Scene 75.
“We will be contacting the local arenas and probably asking Jonathan [Ciero] how he did it last year. To my understanding, we would likely spend money and purchase large amounts of tickets at a discount, and then charge a small amount for each ticket,” Diaz said.
According to the chief of staff, SGA is still trying to figure out how to continue Raider Nights in the City and hopes to bring the program back next year as well. Events and plans are still under discussion, and SGA will provide updates as each trip becomes official.
“It really depends on the next few presidents’ philosophies,” Bailey clarified.
For students interested in updates from SGA and Raider Nights in the City, visit the organization’s Engage page or its WSU information page.
