.W.E.E.T is a branch of the Office of Students Activities (OSA) that stands for “Students Working to Entertain E-town”, a group responsible for organizing fun, non-academic events to keep students entertained.
Did you have fun at Bingo Night? Thank S.W.E.E.T. Did you like watching The Great Gatsby in the Dell? S.W.E.E.T. was behind that too. Some of the many responsibilities S.W.E.E.T has are coordinating the school dances, getting performers like comedians and magicians to visit campus, scheduling trips and deciding which movies are played each on campus each month.
Carolyne Henry, S.W.E.E.T coordinator, spoke more about the movie selections on campus. Henry explained that the movies have been here as long as she can remember and even before then. Most colleges like Etown show movies certain nights during the semester. “Etown is just keeping up with the times,” stated Henry.
The process of selecting the films includes a multi-step process involving how the movies are rated in theaters and how the members of S.W.E.E.T and OSA choose. First, a company called Swank gives Henry a list of movies. Henry then goes through the list and picks out the big blockbuster hits. After that, the list is taken to the rest of the S.W.E.E.T members so they can finalize Henry’s choices. If the movies turn out to be a bust in theatres, a new movie will be chosen. The main task S.W.E.E.T faces is determining what movies Etown students would want to see. Henry summed up its mission, saying, “All we look for in movies are ones that we think the students will enjoy.”
Movies that are chosen can be anything from a cartoon to a horror film. Members of S.W.E.E.T. try to pick the ones they believe are popular and will top the charts. “A movie that has a lot of buzz in the public usually translates into a lot of buzz here on campus,” Henry added. Typically, the movies are shown before their DVD release date. How does S.W.E.E.T. work? How is it able to show new movies on its own? S.W.E.E.T has signed a contract with Swank which gives them the rights to show the movies before they come out on DVD and Blu-ray. S.W.E.E.T. knows that there is a lot of responsibility in making sure no legal rights are infringed upon when showing the movies, which is why there are strict regulations on when S.W.E.E.T can play movies, because it can only show the movies on certain days. “We have to plug in a movie-specific PIN-Play code before we even press play,” Henry said. S.W.E.E.T has to purchase a code to have the rights to show the movies. Henry keeps in close contact with Swank year-round to ensure that all of the PINs are squared away for the upcoming film screenings.
The movies on campus have been a huge success this semester. Last weekend, 233 people were in attendance at “Now You See Me” on Saturday night alone. Attendance varies from weekend to weekend based on student schedules and their preference of the movies being shown. Other activities happening around campus can affect the turnout at the screenings as well. S.W.E.E.T’s goal is always to bring out as many people as possible.
Etown is keeping up with the times and shows movies that the students want to see, which explains the increasing success rate of attendance. S.W.E.E.T is an example of how Etown brings its students together and makes its environment more like home for its Blue Jays.
For more information on upcoming events, view the OSA events calendar or email S.W.E.E.T. at sweet@etown.edu.
