Story by Justin Gotchall
Photos by Nick Bynum
Just over a year ago, posters started appearing around the University of Oregon campus as students began gathering one night a week to watch a double feature film, enjoy some free food, and hang out with a group of like-minded students on campus at an event called Ducks After Dark. Tonight’s showing is no different.
The aptly-named event is organized equally by the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) and the UO Cultural Forum and is run by a student committee as well as a large number of volunteers.
The event itself strives to offer a healthy alternative activity on campus, free from the alcohol-fueled parties so common off of campus. According to freshman Jessica Lee, one of tonight’s attendees, they’re achieving just that.
“Ducks After Dark is trying to show that you can have fun without getting drunk,” she explains when asked why the event was held. Lee elaborates that this event was particularly effective and refreshing because so much media furthers the stereotype that you need alcohol and drugs in order to have fun, citing movies like The Hangover as an example. “Besides,” she adds, “free food for a college student is something that is often smiled upon.”
In addition to the free food and movies, Ducks After Dark also offers a chance for students to become involved in their community and develop a skill set through service. Ducks After Dark chairperson and senior Rafael Arroyo initially got involved as a volunteer for just that reason, explaining that he strongly believes that students create the community they live in. “Make the college experience that you want,” he advises future students. “You can be as little involved as you want, or take it all in.”
The event itself started with Laura Morris, the director of the Cultural Forum, and Robin Holmes, the Vice President of Student Affairs, wanting to find a way to engage students on campus. Arroyo and a few others volunteered to help make the event a more frequent occurrence.
The group only plans on getting bigger from here. A new focus this term is collaboration with other student and campus groups, such as the Emerald Media Group (Emerald), who sponsored tonight’s Media Night, donating a pair of sunglasses autographed by Jordan Kent and Nate Costa as a raffle prize. “Collaboration is really important,” Arroyo says, explaining why the group ended up working with the Emerald. “I think if I’ve learned anything from my work at the EMU it’s just how important it is to have those collaborations and sustain them.”
Ducks After Dark is currently looking for volunteers and those interested in getting involved should see their Facebook page for more details or pick up a form at the event itself, held every Thursday night at 8:30 PM in PLC 180.

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Ducks After Dark: A different way to party