ASI hosts event of mayhem

The phrase “May Mayhem” can finally stand for more than a flurry of midterms and a rush to complete the quarter minus a mental breakdown.

Now, thanks to Associated Students Inc., students fed up with classes can enjoy a whole new kind of hysteria in the University Union tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Free to students with a PolyCard, May Mayhem offers games, activities and live music to those who are looking to unwind and put aside their mid-quarter blues for an evening.

“The event is a collaboration between all the tenants of the University Union,” said Michelle Curro, program coordinator for ASI. “We really want to bring all of the different programs together and highlight the goals of the union. We also want to get those who don’t usually come here to walk through the doors and become familiar with everything that we have to offer.”

Students can look forward to a giant game of laser tag taking place in Chumash Auditorium and a Rock Band video game competition hosted by the Pride Center in Bishop’s Lounge, Curro said.

“We want people to come and play the game and have a great time,” said Amy Narevsky, a student coordinator for the Pride Center. “We’ll keep track of the scores, and the winner will get a prize.”

There will be three live bands performing throughout the evening that include B-Side Players, The Holdup and Dirty Heads, Curro said.

In addition, the Multicultural Center hosts an event called The Four Components of Hip-Hop in UU 220.

“When we did Black History Month we had an event called ‘Black Jeopardy’ and nobody knew what the four components of hip-hop included,” Multicultural Center coordinator Renoda Campbell said. “We figured this would be a perfect place to make them known and tie them in.”

Break dancing, DJing, MCing and graffiti art comprise the four components of hip-hop, and they all will be part of the evening events, Campbell said.

Hip Hop Congress will be performing as well as Los Angeles-based spoken word poet Gimel Hooper.

A graffiti wall will also be constructed on the side of UU 220 for people to express what hip-hop means to them.

“We’re just going to have people hanging out and having a good time with more of a lounge vibe,” Campbell said.

Other activities will include free crafts at the ASI Craft Center including clay throwing and bracelet making, rock climbing at the Poly Escapes outdoor climbing wall, and henna tattoos and caricatures in San Luis Lounge.

Backstage Pizza, Julian’s and Mustang Lanes will also be open to students throughout the evening.

“It’s really just a way to have a huge variety of events all together at one time,” Curro said. “I don’t see how we could ever hear from a student that there was nothing here to interest them, and that’s our goal.”