Thursday, January 31, 2002

Thursday Night Fever
Despite Friday classes, students shut their books and hit the clubs to get an early start on their weekends
by John-Mark Day
Skiff Staff

Molly Beuerman/SKIFF STAFF
Students dance Thursday at Cowboy’s in Arlington. Top left: Reeves Dalton, a freshman premajor, Top right: Melinda Hoover, a freshman business major, Emily Tanner, a freshman fashion merchandising major and Sarah Woolsey, a freshman premajor. Bottom right: Kat Clayton, a freshman premajor and Kristen Barnes, a freshman advertising/public relations major.

It’s well past midnight Thursday, any Thursday really, and freshman education major Leanna Gilles has just hit the dance floor at Billy Bob’s Texas for another round of two-stepping. She and the four or five women who came with her will close the club, then head home and to sleep, hopefully by 2 a.m. She really should get to bed as soon as she can. After all, class starts at 8 a.m.

Many TCU students choose to take advantage of Thursday night, despite class Friday morning.

“In college, the weekend starts on Thursday nights,” Gilles said.

Gilles said she usually gets ready at about 10 p.m. and doesn’t even hit the clubs until 11 p.m. She leaves about 1:30 a.m., giving her enough time to catch some sleep before hitting her 8 a.m. Spanish class.

“I’m a little tired (Friday morning), but it’s not horrible,” Gilles said.

Billy Bob’s on Thursday nights has become a tradition for Gilles and her friends, who said she started going to the club the second week she was on campus and has gone every week since.

“There are lots of college students there (on Thursday nights),” Gilles. “Friday and Saturday have more adults.”

Molly Beuerman/SKIFF STAFF
Melinda Hoover, a freshman business major, Emily Tanner, a freshman fashion merchandising major and Sarah Woolsey, a freshman premajor.

Thursdays, college night at Billy Bob’s, has one particular attraction for college students.
“It’s free,” Gilles said. “There are quite a few people there from TCU of all ages. I’ve met a lot of people there.”

Other clubs around Fort Worth find other ways to attract college students on Thursday nights.

Danny Weaver, who owns the Aardvark at 2905 W. Berry St., said Thursday nights are a big draw for his club.

“Not as many people have class Friday,” Weaver said. “The number of college students definitely increases.”

Weaver said he plans Thursday nights around college students.

“I definitely schedule bands for college students,” he said.

Younger bands and the drink specials the Aardvark runs draw students in, Weaver said.
For sophomore history major Geoff Godley, having a Thursday night class is not a reason to miss out on an extra weekend night.

“I usually stay up late if I don’t go out,” Godley said. “I only have one class at 10 a.m. on Fridays.”

Godley said Thursday nights were an especially big draw to him as a freshman.

“At first I went out every Thursday, but then it started to lose its luster,” he said.

Gilles said she used to think of Thursdays as another weeknight, a time to do homework and wind down from the week.

“I thought, ‘Thursday nights? Why would people go out on Thursday nights?’” Gilles said.
After trying it out the first time, Gilles said she has gone back every week.

A community has grown up around the clubs, she said.

“You see people you know, but you also get to meet some new people,” she said.
Gilles said she’s also learned some new moves.

“I knew a basic line dance (my first time) but I’ve learned some more advanced dances since then,” she said.

Godley said he started going out on Thursday nights because that’s what everyone else did.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Godley said. “You’re supposed to go out Thursday night.”

Senior religion major Kiera Sammis said Thursday nights are a big time to get ready for the weekend.

“It seems as though a lot of people from TCU go out on Thursday nights,” Sammis said. “We’re all excited for the weekend to come.”

Sammis said Thursdays are a particularly good time for her to go out because she hasn’t had a Friday class for the past three semesters.

A typical Thursday night for her starts about 9:30 or 10 p.m., when she’ll meet up with friends and go downtown.

“We go hang out and dance a little,” she said.

She then moves on to The Pub, where she runs into more TCU people. Sammis said she usually goes home around 2 a.m.

Sammis said she tries out many different places. The Library, a new club at 8th and Commerce streets, is particularly popular, she said.

“It’s new right now, and everyone wants to go there,” she said.

Sammis said Thursday nights are an important way for her to relax after the school week.
“We’re in college, and we only live once,” she said.

Senior fashion merchandising major Melissa Styles said there is one big reason for college students to go out on Thursday nights.

“So we don’t run into the high school kids like on Friday or Saturday night,” Styles said.

For Godley, avoiding high school students isn’t the only reason to go out on Thursdays. Fear is a pretty good motivating factor also.

“You don’t want to be the dude who doesn’t go out Thursday nights,” Godley said.

John-Mark Day
j.m.day2@student.tcu.edu


credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002


Accessibility