Dean of Students Office welcomes students back with Casino Night

To welcome students back to the University of Rhode Island, the Office of Dean of Students held a night full of food, games, and fun at Casino Night this past Saturday, September 12.

The event took place from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Ram’s Den of the Memorial Union. After a successful Casino Night in the beginning of the fall semester of 2014, Casino Night made it’s way back for another year of “magic.”

Assistant Dean of Students for Outreach and Intervention Dr. Dan Graney said that the event took place at the Memorial Union’s 60th Anniversary event last fall, and the office wanted to present this event again. He said that last year’s event had a great turnout and because the attendees has such great remarks he knew they had to bring it back.

“Every table was full once we opened the doors at 10,” Graney said. “We didn’t expect to have as big of a turnout as we did, but it was great.”

Graney said that as the night went on, people would funnel in and out, so he guessed that at least 100 people attended.

Casino Night consisted of food, fun, and various ways to win prizes. There were four black jack tables and four Texas Hold’em tables for students to participate in. They also had a crafts table, a Russian roulette table, and a spinning wheel table for more chances to win.

The event was catered by URI Dining Services and a concert was held by the Student Entertainment Committee, who also gave out tickets at the end of the show. Music for the night was provided by Graney himself, who chose songs from his iPhone.

“There were a lot of people who helped make this event run smoothly and we’re very thankful for them, and of course for my Pandora app,” Graney said.

Joe Berardi, Assistant Director of Student Conduct/Community Standards, enjoyed the event as well.

“I thought the event was great,” Berardi said. “Having an event for opening week where students could enjoy what URI has to offer and win prizes was definitely a great way to start the semester.”

This was Berardi’s second time attending Casino Night, since he helped last year to manage the event when he was one of the building managers of the Memorial Union.

“After attending last year and helping to manage the event, it was exciting to see the excitement and general interest of the students who came out this year,” Berardi said. “I even got to see some familiar faces.”

Berardi said how the event had great support from Chi Phi Fraternity, as well as the other student organizations, and he hopes that students really enjoyed the night.

The Dean of Students Office hopes to host the event again next year. This event is free to students and anyone who loves to try out their luck in Casino games.

Graney encourages students who are interested in hearing about the events happening through the Dean of Students Office and the University to check out the URI events page. He said that there are always events happening that the university provides, students just have to keep an eye out for them.