Students looking to wind down during the excitement of Homecoming week can do so at Black Student Union’s Homecoming Lock-In.

BSU is having their night of games, movie and music at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Cultural Center, which is on 600 E. Lincoln Ave.

This lock-in was implemented by the organization as a social event post midterm stress. Also it was created as a way to let students calm down during Homecoming week, which is sometimes considered hectic.

Daniel Wallace, the secretary of BSU, said it is a chance for people to come out and hang with their friends. Wallace said they want to pass positive vibes through this social.

“We wanted to try something that was outside the box,” Wallace said. “It’s different ways to bring food on campus so we wanted to be creative with a lock-in.”

Wallace said BSU is on campus to uplift the African-American community, but they also want to connect with the entire campus as well.

“It brings a sense of social unity, and that’s important because one of the biggest misconceptions about BSU is that it’s only for black people,” Wallace said.

Tylen Elliott, the president of BSU, said this year they are bringing hosting lock-in as a replacement of the usual Homecoming party BSU normally has. He said over the past couple of year’s people have not showed much of an interest to the union parties they usually host.

“It may be a generational gap, with the incoming freshman and sophomores they probably don’t know what a union party is or what it has potential to be,” Elliott said.

Wallace said often those parties are cancelled because of a lack of participation or tickets not being bought a head of time.

Elliott said many times students do not take advantage of the chance to get to know new people and network.

“It’s good to have events like this because it provides a social outlet for students on campus,” Elliott said. “A lot of the college experience is about getting to know people.”

Wallace said a student’s college experience is about getting to connect with people to build relationships equipped for both the workplace and someone’s personal life.

“A lock-in is something where people can wind down and just be themselves and they don’t have to put on a façade or act professional,” Wallace said. “Students can just be themselves and enjoy the experience.”

The Lock-In is free and food and games will be provided and the lock-in will go on until 11 p.m.

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu