As students prepare for Thanksgiving Break, the University Board will offer a Rush Hour program allowing students to get free henna tattoos Wednesday.

The program will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bridge Lounge of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Henna, which is a paste made from leaves, is used by many Middle Eastern and African cultures to decorate themselves for religious ceremonies, including weddings.

Henna is a temporary tattoo.

Danny Turano, a senior sociology major and chair of the UB, said the Rush Hour program series was created a few years ago as a way to give students something to do between classes.

“It is for students with a little break between classes and who go through the Union anyway,” Turano said. “It is mainly things that students can take with them, whether it be a caricature, a painting or a henna tattoo.”

Turano said the UB chose henna tattoos because it was offered by the company the UB has used for previous events and they thought it would be something students would enjoy. The company brings the artists and the supplies needed for the program.

“There is really no meaning behind this particular program,” Turano said. “We just thought it would be fun for students to get one between classes.”

Turano said the Rush Hour programs typically get 100 to 200 participants during the four-hour span.

He said the turnout differs based on interest in the program, but that it is typically good because of the extended time and that many students already pass through the Union during the day.

This is not the first time the UB has done a program concerning henna, but Turano said in the past it fell under the jurisdiction of the UB cultural arts coordinator, while this semester the event was the project of the special events coordinator.

“Last year it was done by cultural arts because they also had a speaker,” Turano said. “This year it is just the tattoos.”

The UB special events coordinator, cultural arts coordinator and mainstage coordinator positions remain vacant.

Turano said the reasons for vacancies vary, but that it is not a reflection of the UB.

“It is time-consuming and sometimes people do not know how to manage their time,” Turano said. “People were falling behind on schoolwork and we don’t want that.”

He said he believes the UB members need to focus on being students first and UB members second.

Because of the vacancies, Turano and UB vice chairman David Simms, have had to pick up the responsibilities usually delegated to those positions.

“It hard work but in the end we’re here to make great programs for students,” Turano said. “David and I wouldn’t be in these positions if we couldn’t handle them, we have a very united board and our graduate assistants help as well.”

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or alwywialowski@eiu.edu.