Thursday night, the Undergrounds became a hub for poets and musicians alike to express themselves, thanks to the open mic night hosted by Diverse Cultural Xcellence, also know as DCX. The crowd was treated to a variety of performers, including slam poets, acoustic sets and even a few rappers.

Trey Bonaparte, the first brave performer of the night, dazzled the crowd with his impressive slam poetry. Bonaparte has been performing for only about two years, but started writing poetry in his ninth grade writing class.

“In ninth grade, I was really shy and didn’t express myself much,” said Bonaparte, an undeclared freshman. “When I had new experiences, I wanted to write them down and create a story to share with people.”

Bonaparte says he loves the idea of connecting with people through so few words, as it presents him with the opportunity and challenge of showing people who he really is. This was Bonaparte’s first open mic at Binghamton University, and he enjoyed that people felt free to express themselves in a noncompetitive environment.

Thursday’s open mic marked the third year that DCX, a group aimed toward self-expression and unity, hosted the event. Diverse Cultural Xcellence was charted in 2005, and since then they have been trying to encourage students to get in touch with the great diversity that Binghamton has to offer.

“Our club is about diversity, and we like to try to find ways to get everyone together, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or race, to talk about what they’re feeling,” said Denee Jenkins, a junior majoring in geography and the president of DCX.

Jenkins says that the open mic is intended to give everyone an opportunity to perform and express themselves without concerns of being judged. Her favorite part of the night was the spoken word performances, which she felt everyone could really connect with.

“[Open mics] are a great way for people to get involved and for people with similar interests to get connected,” said Dan Roman, a junior majoring in psychology and president of the Slam Poetry Club.

Each performer was greeted with roaring applause from the crowd, many of whom said they would be too afraid to ever perform themselves.

“I could never do an open mic,” said Alex Grzebyk, a sophomore majoring in political science. “I really commend the performers for being so brave and open with the audience.”

The audience wasn’t just treated to the many inspiring poems that some of BU’s finest poets had to offer, but also to some great musical talent. Whether you were onstage or off, the open mic offered a great environment and was surely not the last performance opportunity open to students in the Undergrounds this semester. If you have the urge to try an open mic, stay tuned for the next one.