Seniors came together for 99 Nights in the Ehinger Center to celebrate the beginning of the double-digit countdown until commencement. Drew Night Life hosted the annual 99 Nights event on Feb. 2, when the Class of 2024 graduates kicked off their last few months at Drew.
99 Nights is an important milestone for Drew University students. “It’s sort of terrifying, sort of exciting. I’m just ready to graduate, but at the same time, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said attendee Bri Liggett (’24) when asked about attending an event to celebrate the countdown to commencement.
The Drew Night Life team “tried to find something fun that everybody could enjoy, a little bit of a party, and that’s kind of like what it was in the past, so we’re trying to build back up into what it was before,” said new Drew Night Life Staff Coordinator Megan Fonseca. There were a variety of activities present for the Class of 2024 to engage with at the event.
99 Nights made use of Crawford Hall, The Pub and a portion of the Ehinger Center eatery. The first 100 people who came to the event received a free 99 Nights t-shirt. Students could then paint the backs of their t-shirts with glow paint, which was visible in the low lighting of Crawford Hall. As music played throughout the Ehinger Center, a few students took advantage of the dance floor.
A majority of the students flocked to The Pub, where attendees were allowed one free drink each hour, for a maximum of four drinks. Pizza and deli sandwiches were also provided for students’ enjoyment. Students were seen playing the available board games within The Pub or simply enjoying the event with their friends and classmates.
The free drinks for the night elevated the event, coming from a collaboration between The Pub and Drew Night Life. “[Drew Night Life] wanted to make sure that the seniors felt celebrated and enjoyed it and knew that this is a celebration for them, by them. We wanted to make sure they knew that. So we wanted to amp it up a little bit,” said Drew Night Life Event Coordinator Maddy Hilferty (’25). Providing free drinks for attendees was just the way to do that.
Other activities at 99 Nights included teddy bear stuffing, a Polaroid photo opportunity and a table to create a “Spring 2024 Bucket List.” Students also signed a class flag. “[Drew Night Life is] going to put it up during senior days as a way to recognize you as well and have something to look back on throughout the years,” remarked Fonseca.
Liggett appreciated the activities provided by Drew Night Life, saying, “I’m just glad that DNL is doing something to support their seniors, especially because we had a really rough start to college and the end of high school.”
Attendance was slow during the first two hours, though more students began showing up closer to 10:30 p.m. “The great thing about DNL events is that they last for four hours each Friday, so attendees can come and go as they please. We saw that at 99 Nights; seniors really flooded in around 10,” said Drew Night Life staffer Annabelle Smith (’26).
99 Nights was another Drew tradition lost as a result of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The senior celebration was last held in January 2020, so this is the first time 99 Nights was held since Drew returned from virtual schooling. Organizers and attendees remarked on the importance of this event’s return, especially for a class in which a majority of students graduated highschool in 2020.
When asked what she wanted the Class of 2024 to take from the event, Fonseca said, “I think you all need an outlet for a good time, every once in a while, in a structured way. But also, Class of 2024, you guys didn’t have a prom, right? So also building off of those ideas and hoping to give you some of those good times, a bit of fun.”
99 Nights, for the Class of 2024, became a way to breathe a sigh of relief that the end of everything they had worked for was in sight. It was also a way to remind themselves about how far they had come from their difficult start at Drew during virtual schooling after losing their senior year.
Hilferty remarked, “I was super excited to bring it back, especially because I’m Class of ‘21 for high school, so I was a junior when COVID hit, so I knew a lot of people personally, especially a lot of seniors that had their senior year be ripped away from COVID. It’s exciting to bring back traditions that might have ‘died’ during that time.” 99 Nights is an event that Drew Night Life plans to expand in the future.
Student attendees emphasized the importance of bringing back an event that was impacted by virtual learning and the COVID-19 pandemic. “Honestly, I think this is pretty cool. It’s, I feel like, the first time ever I’ve seen our entire class together because of COVID,” said attendee Júlia Oliveira Souza (’24).
Some student clubs and organizations suffered in returning to their regular activities post-virtual schooling, and some events suffered similarly, such as 99 Nights. However, this year has marked this event’s return, and Drew Night Life hopes to keep the tradition going stronger than ever.
Elisabeth Sauerman is a senior majoring in public health and minoring in both anthropology and environmental justice.
Featured image courtesy of Elisabeth Sauerman.
