The Elizabethtown College campus held high energy as the Black Student Union on campus, known as Noir, transformed the Jay Lounge into an immersive mini-nightclub for its event, “Etown’s Got Culture.”
Designed to bridge communities and celebrate different cultures through music and dance, the event drew about 60 students in attendance. Attendees experienced a nightclub-like experience that featured a vibrant, LED filled basement with powerful sound and complimentary mocktails for guests.
Operating as a Black Student Union, Noir functions as a multicultural space dedicated to community building, openness and inclusion. For the organizers in Noir, the event is bringing a multi-year vision. Since arriving on campus, student leader Kalen Tendo, senior legal studies major, saw the potential hiding in the Jay Lounge as a venue for exciting events on campus life.
“I honestly just wanted to find a way to bring the campus together through great music from all over the world,” said Tendo. “I called the event Etown’s Got Culture because, to me, it was supposed to represent all cultures across E-town, including Asian, Hispanic, White, African, Caribbean, and so much more. I thought it was imperative not only to promote representation but also to introduce students to new genres of music and give them a chance to meet new people and dance.”
Months of preparation went into bringing this vision to life. The club’s social media team worked tirelessly to create promotional reels and posts and even put up advertisements around campus.
When students walked into the Jay Lounge on the night of the event they were meant with a transformation of the space.
The playlist during the event served as the beating heart of the event, featuring a diverse rotation of global sounds that invited active participation from the attendees. As salsa tracks played, students unfamiliar with the music were able to learn steps directly from Latino peers. Later, when Afrobeats came on, the room filled with energy truly embodying the event’s theme and goal of cultural intersectionality.
“Sometimes, when you leave home, you also leave behind the things that are special to you, like music,” said Tendo. “I believe music is one of the ways we can bridge gaps within a community and learn so much about one another. Music is one of the most universal languages, and I think it was what brought us all together that night.”
Beyond just the campus body, the event also successfully brought on more regional connections. Organizers expressKalened a pleasant surprise of the turnout from neighboring schools like Millersville University. Members of Millersville’s Student Organization of Latin Americans (SOLA) and Black Student Union (BSU) traveled to Etown’s campus to come and support the event, strengthening inter-collegiate bonds among identity-based organizations.
While Etown is a predominantly white institution (PWI), student leaders emphasize that creating and fostering an inclusive community requires reaching across demographics to accommodate all students. Noir’s broader mission includes combating feelings of isolation that incoming students may experience during transitions into college ensuring that all students have a deep sense of belonging on campus.
The success of Etown’s Got Culture has brought organizers a hope to establish this pop-up nightclub as an annual campus tradition with plans for another event in the spring semester.
For the remainder of the semester, Noir’s calendar has more events upcoming for all students. These events feature a campus-wide “Family Feud” event that is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 8 p.m in the High Auditorium, a “Friendsgiving” feast and, of course, “Thrift to Impress” which is inspired by the popular game Dress to Impress. The event will feature a large vintage and fashion competition with four rounds, four themes and a cash prize for each round’s winner. Interested students can reach out via email to noir@etown.edu or tendok@etown.edu. For more details and updates, follow Noir on instagram at @etownnoir.
