Diverse crowd brought together on this 'Island'
By David Wonpu
Given $500 of play money to go wild at poker, blackjack, roulette and craps tables, students were allowed to live some of their riskiest desires risk-free at "Treasure Island."
On Friday, Feb. 9, the Residential Learning Community Association hosted its first annual "Treasure Island" event, but don't be fooled: "Treasure Island" was actually the organization's 12th "Casino Night."
Though the name had to be changed in accordance with amendments to California's gambling laws, the fundamentals of the long-standing "Casino Night" were not.
"It's really about building unity in the Santa Clara community," said RLCA President and sophomore Madeline Cheng.
"It's a great chance to meet people outside of your residence hall," added RLCA co-Programming Coordinator and sophomore Kelley McCoy. "We don't want the various RLCs to become polarized."
Claudia Andrade, a sophomore electrical engineering major and RLCA co-programming coordinator said, "We wanted to give students an alternative to drinking."
Though RLCA receives funding from the housing department, they still had to fundraise for "Treasure Island," which was about as lavish as a student organized event could be.
Sponsor Ace Casino provided all the necessary gaming essentials, from tables to dealers.
Most sponsors, however, donated the primary incentive for most of the students in attendance: prizes.
From a MacBook donated by Apple SCU to gift certificates from Starbucks, Target, Barnes & Noble, Alexandria Salon, The Container Store and Jamba Juice, the loot at this pirate-themed event was quite prodigious.
The object of the night's activities, besides rubbing elbows with other broke, stressed college students, was to garner as many raffle tickets as possible.
Raffle tickets were to be cashed out at the end of the night at a rate of 200 chips each.
The maximum number of raffle tickets for each participant was 30.
The tickets were then applied toward one's "big prize" of choice.
Along with the aforementioned MacBook, there was also a PlayStation 3, a Tiffany & Co. bracelet and a Coach bag.
"I am here for the PlayStation 3," stated sophomore accounting major Vinod Kamath as he nursed a tall tower of chips.
He then added that "Treasure Island" was "far more organized than last year." AS senator and sophomore philosophy major Peter Lo echoed Kamath's sentiments, stating that "the prizes are great."
Lo was summarily impressed with the overall quality of the event, describing it as "fantastic. RLCA really pulled out all the stops tonight."
Though Ace Casino provided dealers, the blackjack tables were manned by that most beloved of Santa Clara creatures: the community facilitator.
Taking time out of their busy days of listening to students' problems and praying that they're not getting drunk, the CFs showed their commitment to the Santa Clara community.
Da Vinci CF and junior Olivia Sorell said -- between dealing hands of blackjack to eager amateur card sharks -- that the event was "the perfect alternative for students who might be out drinking tonight instead."
Loyola CF and sophomore Annie Rovzar said that she enjoyed the "mix of different people." She also added, "I kind of like dealing, too."
"Treasure Island" was a well-organized event with a great purpose.
Not only did it provide students an alternative to hitting the bottle, it brought Las Vegas a little bit closer, and made all the starving college students in attendance feel a little less broke.
Contact David Wonpu at (408) 551-1918 or dwonpu@scu.edu.