By John Schilling
Despite previously being postponed, last week, the Undergraduate Student Government’s (USG) “Movie Night on The Quad” went on as scheduled on Sept. 30 on the West Quad at Brooklyn College. The quick turnaround came as a last-minute attempt to secure a new vendor for the screening equipment.
According to USG President Aharon Grama, FunFlicks Outdoor Movies had not responded to USG’s follow-ups after Hurricane Ida, which led the event to being cancelled originally.
“They went MIA and stopped responding to our emails, phone calls, and any communication from CUNY,” Grama told The Vanguard. “We tried to change it to a different vendor, and we were very doubtful CUNY would get it in time.”
At first, USG decided that if they had not heard anything by Monday, Sept. 27, they would postpone the event. This cutoff date, however, changed as the initial event date drew closer. On Sept. 29, USG heard from Jessica Bradley, the Assistant Director of the Central Depository at Brooklyn College, who said Premiere Outdoor Movies, the new vendor, was all set and the event could go on as scheduled. Bradley’s notice left USG less than 24 hours to promote the event via email and social media posts.
“Not [going to] lie, I was fairly excited,” said Grama. “In general, we had 100 plus people registered, and I would say 60 plus showed up.”
Brooklyn College’s Reentry Review Board had previously approved a maximum capacity of 125 students with mandatory mask and social distance protocols in place, individually packaged concessions, and a Cleared4 Access Pass or green key on BC Navigator. The movie shown was Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” an American film about South Korean immigrants trying to build a life for themselves in the United States during the 1980s.
The next “Movie Night on the Quad” will be on Oct. 28 with “a Halloween twist,” according to Grama.