MSU’s University Programming Board hosted its semi-annual Finals Frenzy event on Thursday, December 7. 

Finals Frenzy is an event that UPB holds every semester in order to help students destress and decompress before finals. Lala Lay, one of the event’s coordinators, said the purpose of Finals Frenzy is for students to enjoy an event before finals.

“The goal always stays the same, just for students to relax and have fun,” Lay said.

The theme was “escape from finals,” so the coordinators decided to theme the event around space. This theme made way for activities such as alien bowling, play-doh planets, glow-in-the-dark trashketball, galaxy slime and marshmallow constellations.

Though Commanche Suites held most of the themed activities of the evening, UPB included many non-themed events as well. This included an 8-ball and ping-pong tournament, a polar express ride with Fantasy of lights, and even a mechanical bull in the atrium.

“Students always have a positive reaction to the bull, so it’s something we always bring back every now and then,” Lay explained.

The mechanical bull was not the only activity that students were excited for. A group of students who attended the event together shared their enthusiasm for the galaxy slime and even the silent disco at the end of the night. Chance Thompson, a math and accounting junior, brought the group together to enjoy the Frenzy.

“I love coming to these things,” Thompson explained.

Every semester, UPB tries to team up with different organizations to help coordinate some of the events for Finals Frenzy, giving organizations a chance to gain more visibility on campus. This year, they collaborated with a handful of different organizations, including the Esports and Gaming club who hosted Among Us in Cheyenne Suites. 

However, finding collaborators for this semester’s Finals Frenzy was more difficult than usual because many students were having their final exams before finals week.

“That was really difficult on us,” Lay said,  “We had to pull weight from within our own office and the office of Student Leadership and their staff.”

Lay further explained that it was hard to find vendors and activities for the winter Finals Frenzy because the cold weather forced a majority of the activities inside. One of the limitations they face every year is what inflatables can fit inside the atrium, hence the mechanical bull making another appearance this fall.

“The fall-winter Finals Frenzy is always gonna be inside,” Lay said, “I don’t really like the fall because it really limits us to what we can and can’t do.”

UPB plans on making the spring Finals Frenzy into one that has much more to offer students, including more vendors, activities and events. Lay highly encourages students to attend the event and said it is free to all students and another way for students to relax and have a little fun before heading into finals week.

“Come out, have fun. We’re here for you, we’re a service provided for you by the university,” Lay said, adding, “So utilize it, milk it.”