Students discuss Bingo Club and what keeps them coming back, as they gather for a night of bingo, prizes, and fun.

Transcript:

0:05: Welcome back to Chronversations. 

0:07: I’m your host, Cameron Johnson. 

0:09: This past Tuesday, there were plenty of events happening in 618 S. Michigan Ave. on the third floor in the Hive. 

0:15: Bingo is a timeless classic that is typically played by older individuals, but this evening called for everyone to come together. 

0:22: I sat down with the president of the Bingo Club to hear her heart behind forming this club and seeing how it’s been impacting other students. 

0:30: Taryn, T A R Y N, Yahn, Y A H N. 

0:35: I’m an ASL major. 

0:37: She/her pronouns, and I’m a junior. 

0:40: Can you tell me the origin of Bingo Club, just how it started? 

0:43: I work up in the SEAL office and I work in SOC so we talk about clubs and we’re in charge of all the organizations on campus, and Bingo Club came up as a joking organization like what if Bingo Club existed? 

0:59: And then I was like, well we had a bingo event for 

1:02: SOC members to meet other club officers and people loved it and I was like, well why not let everybody play bingo? 

1:14: How would you say the events have been like with bingo? 

1:17: How do you feel like the students have been impacted? 

1:19: How do you feel like you yourself have been impacted? 

1:21: People have really enjoyed it. 

1:22: We’ve had some really good turnout. 

1:24: Our numbers have normally been somewhere in between 50 and 60 people, which was more than I was ever expecting. 

1:31: So I’m really happy that things are going well, that people enjoy it. 

1:35: For tonight, I know that there’s an event for tonight, but also a fundraiser that is also going to be happening. 

1:42: Can you tell me a bit about the details for tonight as well as what the fundraiser is towards? 

1:46: Yeah, so basically it’s going to be like any other bingo game. 

1:49: We’re going to play a bunch of bingo and we’re going

1:52: to have a bunch of prizes that you can win. 

1:55: This week, we chose de-stress-themed prizes, so skincare, face masks, squishies, a couple of pieces of candy, stuff like that just because midterms are coming up,

2:08: and then the fundraiser, so basically we’ve opened it to the public and if you are a non-Columbia member, you have to pay $5 to get into the building, 

2:17: but then that includes one board. 

2:20: For Columbia members, you get your first board free, and then every other board you have to pay more to get a board. 

2:29: So for one board it’s $3 for two boards, but you could get two boards for $5 so that’s kind of like our deal. 

2:37: So, that’s how we’re hoping to make some money. 

2:39: We also have donations open if somebody wants to donate to the club, but basically the goal is to raise money so that we can get bigger, better prizes for future events because while we’re allowed 

2:52: a budget, like that budget, as much as I would love to be able to give out as much stuff as I possibly could, you know, we have constrictions, so we’re trying to eliminate some of those constrictions by fundraising so that we can get bigger, better prizes and have more events. 

3:08: Definitely with the de-stress fest or de-stress themed things, I definitely would need that for myself because it’s kicking up, it’s racking up right now with classwork. 

3:19: Yeah so, how would you say, you personally, when it comes to your skill with bingo, are you a pro? How would you rate yourself? 

3:28: I think I’m not a pro at all. 

3:31: Most of the time I’m sitting up there pulling the balls, and it’s a humiliation game, honestly. 

3:38: It’s a little funny because you get a number wrong and then everybody’s like, “Oh” so yeah, but this meeting I’m planning on actually playing bingo. 

3:47: We have one of our other executive board members who is going to be reading the numbers, so I’m excited to actually participate for the first time, but yeah I don’t win bingo a lot. 

4:00: Like the times I’ve played bingo I’m a very unlucky person, so it’s probably better that I’m standing up there reading the numbers. 

4:07: Later that evening, I went to the event and asked a couple of people about their thoughts about the night. 

4:12: My name is Zahava Weiss. 

4:14: My major is ASL interpreting, and my pronouns are she/they. 

4:19: So my name is Kennadi Barber. 

4:21: my major is graphic design and my pronouns are she/her. 

4:24: So is this your first event with the Bingo Club? 

4:26: If so, what is something that you are expecting for tonight? 

4:29: And if not, what has kept you coming to all these different events? 

4:32: This is not my first event. 

4:33: I’ve been to every event that they’ve hosted. 

4:36: One thing that’s been keeping me coming back has been obviously the prizes, but also I’m a good friend of the president, so I’ve been coming here to support her and also it’s just really fun. 

4:45: I’ve been here, I think since the first meeting I think what’s kept me coming is I actually won both the 

4:53: meetings, so that and also I actually like bingo, so you know, that’s just how I am. 

5:00: So how skilled would you say you are at bingo? 

5:03: I’ve won a few times. 

5:04: I seem to have a bit of luck, and especially tonight with the fundraiser, I think I’ve got a lot of luck on my side. 

5:12: I will say I don’t think it’s really about skill. 

5:15: I think it’s about 

5:17: luck, fate, kind of, because you know you can’t control what numbers and letters are called, so I don’t think it’s about that obviously you have to listen for your number and stuff so you don’t miss anything, but I would say it’s about fate. 

5:33: I’m really here for fun. 

5:35: I don’t really think it’s about confidence. 

5:36: Like you’re not going to win every time. 

5:38: I don’t think if I don’t win tonight, I’ll be fine. 

5:40: I’ll still come back next time. 

5:41: It’s just like, I don’t really think confidence is needed. 

5:44: I’m not that confident because I don’t really care about winning or not. 

5:47: I’m just here for the fun of it. 

5:53: Make sure to stay up to date with Campus and Metro News at columbiachronicle.com. 

5:57: I’m Cameron Johnson. 

5:58: Thanks for listening. 

6:00: And until next time. 

Copy Edited by Mia Smith