Oxygen bar, massages, free food highlight tonight's festivities in Cellar

Students looking for an alternative to drinking on the eve of dead day can stop their search at the Student Union Memorial Center.

The University Activities Board is hosting a free UA Late Night at the Cellar Restaurant and Lounge tonight from 7 to midnight.

The event is intended to serve the many students who live on campus who are under the legal drinking age and stuck on campus with no transportation, said Deanna Konst, UAB special events director and late nights chair.

Konst said the theme of this semester's late night is relaxation and relieving stress, and for that theme, UAB will be providing free massage tables as well as an oxygen bar.

Additional events and services include an open mic, comedy corner, local bands, free food, and bingo, said Bridgette Gallagher, UAB president.

"We have been keeping up with the trends at other college campuses and found that many people really like oxygen bars now," Gallagher said.

The oxygen bar's "science lab" setup will offer pure flavored oxygen, which gives the recipient an excited feeling and lots of energy, Konst said.

All the free service costs will come out of the UAB annual budget, Gallagher said.

UA Late Night used to be an event that was under the leadership of many different student government organizations, but for the first time this year, Gallagher said it is part of UAB's special events.

Eventually, Gallagher said, she hopes UAB will be able to provide UA Late Nights every single weekend like Northern Arizona University.

Nichol Repucci, an undecided freshman, and Tina Tran, a communications freshman, said they were planning on drinking on dead day eve, but agree that hosting alcohol-free activities for on-campus residents is a good idea.

"Not everyone has a way to get off campus, and not everyone drinks every single day," Repucci said. "I think it's a good idea to have other activities for people who want to stay on campus."