Stay West Weekends hosted, “Friday the 13th Dinner Party,” in the Campus Center Ballroom from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 13.

Jeffrey Calloway and Eric Mickley helped set up the event with buffet-style barbeque and television screens for students to hang out, relax and eat with their friends.

Stay West Weekends gives student organizations the chance to apply for grants and hosts programs on certain weekends, according to the brochure for the campaign. It enables students to have fun and perceive UWG as a good place to attend school, have a sense of belonging, connect with others and create memories. Stay West Weekends is located at the Center for Student Involvement in the Campus Center room 304.

Weekends at West Georgia have events on Fridays and Saturdays. Their mission is to build a more vibrant weekend culture through various programs hosted on the weekends so that students will feel that UWG is their home.

“We want people to know how much is going on during the weekends on campus,” said graduate assistant and Weekends at West Georgia Coordinator Melissa Hewitt.  “It helps the campus culture become more exciting because the weekends are full.”

The Friday the 13th Dinner Party had an outstanding turnout. Students were excited and crowded in the Campus Center Ballroom for a free barbeque dinner with sandwiches, corn, baked beans, potato salad, peach cobbler and drinks.

Sophomore Stephenie Wade said, “The food in general was really good. I liked the barbeque beef and pork sandwiches.”

Students also had the opportunity to win free t-shirts and water bottles.

According to Hewitt, this was the easiest event of the semester. It was all about the free stuff and space.

“My job is to change the campus culture and to help the forgotten students who cannot go home on the weekends,” said Hewitt.

Weekends at West Georgia do many events during the semester and they are mostly spread by word-of-mouth and the newspaper. Programs are hosted on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the semester. Casino Night, Laser Tag, and Dinner and a Movie are just a few of the events that Weekends at West Georgia have done in the past.

Stay West Weekends will be hosting “Flashback Fridays,” on Jan. 27 with The Wolf Internet Radio from noon to 3 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. “Snowpocalypse,” with TKE in Love Valley from noon to 4 p.m. and the Student Activities Council will be hosting “Dinner and a Movie,” in the Campus Center Ballroom at 4 p.m. on Jan. 28.

Both organizations give out over a 100 prizes at every event. They hope that students who stay on campus during the weekends will take advantage of the free giveaways and food. This gives them a chance to have fun and not worry about the stresses of classes and boredom. It is important for students to have something to do during the weekends and have opportunities to try new things and meet new people.

For more information on the upcoming events with Stay West Weekends and Weekends at West Georgia please call (678) 839-6526 or visit www.facebook.com/WeekendsWestGeorgia.