A Binghamton University staple, Late Nite Binghamton, is held every Friday and Saturday night in the University Union, providing a space for students to gather together to watch movies, eat food, play games and win prizes — all for free. This year, students can expect to see changes to the programming under Dillon Deffinbaugh, the new campus activities program coordinator for Late Nite.
“I applied for the Program Coordinator position because I felt it was a great match for my skills and interests, and I was seeking a challenge within a supportive community,” Deffinbaugh wrote in an email. “I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of programming boards across the country, including another Late Nite program, and I was excited to transfer some of what I’ve learned over the years into this role.”
Deffinbaugh, who previously served as a student activities coordinator at Maine Maritime Academy, joined the Binghamton University community this summer. Under his direction, Late Nite will establish a “themed weekend format.” This will take the form of back-to-back showings of a recently released movie on Friday night and a variety of other activities on Saturday night. The movie and the events will share a common theme.
“For example, we will be showing Wonder Woman on Friday, September 8, followed by Late Nite Hero on Saturday, September 9,” Deffinbaugh wrote. “The Saturday event will feature an 85’ inflatable Hero Boot Camp obstacle course and several other activities surrounding the hero theme.”
One of the biggest changes to the format of Late Nite is the move to singular programming each night, as opposed to last year, when there was a mix of activities on both nights.
“By showing films on Friday nights and hosting large-scale, multifaceted events on Saturday nights, we are now able to use our resources more effectively to bring bigger, better activities to BU,” Deffinbaugh wrote.
So far, the changes to Late Nite appear to have increased the program’s attendance. According to Deffinbaugh, this semester’s first themed weekend welcomed over 1,000 students.
This year, the enthusiasm for Late Nite comes from not just the people who attend, but the people who work there, too. Rayquan Telpha, a staff member for Late Nite and a senior majoring in physics, is optimistic about the direction of the program.
“So far, Late Nite Bing has been revitalized in the best way possible,” he said. “It’s all thanks to Dillon’s leadership and coordination he’s brought over from his previous experiences.”
While the first couple weekends of Late Nite this year have been successful, Deffinbaugh still has plenty on his to-do list. Over the next weeks, he said he plans to focus on improving the quality of event production and promotion, offer a wider variety of activities every week and evaluate everything the program does for continuous improvement.
“As for my personal goals, I want to continue to become a better advisor, supervisor and advocate for students,” he wrote. “Since I am new to the University and this position, it is very important that I listen to students and include them in decisions as we consider making changes to the Late Nite program.”