More than 250 students filled the Williams Center Multipurpose Room for Late Night Breakfast, the largest crowd in recent years.
A delicious breakfast and crowd-pleasing karaoke performances were the winning ticket on Aug. 23 that drew more than 250 students to the Williams Center.
That’s nearly 100 more than attended the popular SUNY Fredonia orientation tradition a year ago. It was also the largest gathering for Late Night Breakfast since COVID.
It’s considered an ideal way for new students to cap off their first full day on campus before starting classes the following Monday.
From the opening to the close, we were blown away by the enthusiastic audience participation, and singers who were doing some [great] crowd work, engaging with the audience and getting them to dance." - Cassandra Dobler
“We had a great turnout, way larger than we anticipated,” beamed Cassandra Dobler, secretary of the Karaoke Club. “We were thrilled to have so many people interested who came out and had a good time,” she added. “Fantastic!”
It was a collective experience that everyone enjoyed. Students sang as soloists, in duets and in large groups. Students across the Multipurpose Room joined together to sing beloved choruses. No matter ability or talent level, all performers were celebrated. Some 30 individual performances spanned two hours.
“From the opening to the close, we were blown away by the enthusiastic audience participation, and singers who were doing some [great] crowd work, engaging with the audience and getting them to dance,” remarked Ms. Dobler, a junior majoring in Communication: Digital Film Production, with a minor in Music, from Long Island, NY.
Emcee duties were shared among Karaoke Club e-board members, led by Jazmine (Jazz) Fiore, president, a junior majoring in Visual Arts and New Media: Sculpture with minors in Visual Arts: Art History and Creative Writing, from Utica, NY. Joining her were Jonas Simora, treasurer, a junior majoring in Chemistry, from Ashville, NY; Isabella (Izzie) Inzinna, social chair, a junior with majors in Communication: Audio/Radio Production and Communication: Journalism, with a minor in Creative Writing, from Massapequa Park, NY; and Dobler.
Faculty Student Association staff kept the breakfast buffet tables fully stocked the entire evening, while a steady stream of students took turns singing popular songs into a microphone over prerecorded backing tracks projected overhead.
The evening was a great opportunity for students to meet other students based on personal interests and hobbies, said Erin Mroczka, assistant vice president for Retention and Academic Success. Students seeking a quiet way to spend the evening gathered in the downstairs Willy C’s Food Court for board games.
The Late Night Breakfast, which the Karaoke Club co-hosted with New Student Orientation, also served as an ideal event to introduce students new to the campus.
“I had several people approach me right then and there to join the club,” Dobler said. She jotted down names and added them to the club’s email list. “We’ll promote the club at Activities Night and have a table, engaging students and telling them more about the club, encouraging them to check it out.”
Entering its second full year, the Karaoke Club hosts weekly karaoke gatherings – each with its own theme – Saturday nights in the Blue Lounge.
