On Friday, September 7, the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus Center and Events Services Office hosted a free-skate party in the third floor ballroom of the Campus Center. The 7-10 p.m. event featured an assorted playlist of 90s pop and early 2000s hip-hop with free roller-skate and roller-blade rentals. There were around 225 students in attendance.
After a swipe of their student I.D., guests started heading in at 6:50 p.m. to get their roller skates situated. The overhead lights were turned down at 7:10 p.m. while four black lights surrounded the checkered wooden floor. Everyone’s white and light-colored clothing glowed whether they were near them or not. Moving colored lights lit up the dark room as the DJ blasted the music. Neon glow sticks were worn as necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories, and earrings.
They offered 60-100 pairs of roller skates with some roller blades thrown in the mix. The difference between roller skates and roller blades is the arrangement of the wheels. Skates have two wheels in the front and two in the back; roller blades, also called ‘inline skates,’ have the four wheels in a straight line.
Although there were 10 student employees running the event and “making sure students scan their Beacon Cards to enter, passing out and putting back skates, doing announcements, and all the other small tasks needed to be done,” an administrator in the Campus Center, Erin Dayharsh, oversaw everything. When asked about her feelings on the event, Dayharsh stated, “I wish we had more skates to rent out to folks. But this is really the first time we have, as a department, planned an event for Welcome Week. So, this is our first kind of entry into an evening program during this time. So I’m really happy with the turnout.” Campus Center employee, Paige Groves, followed along in an email interview saying, “We were thrilled! The Campus Center has never really held an event on this scale and it went far better than we ever expected. When doors opened, people came pouring in excited to skate. There was never a dull moment, students partied until we had to ask them to leave at 10 p.m. With the success of this, I am hoping that we can do another event on this large of a scale very soon.” 
Because of the amount of people who showed up, the Campus Center Office made the announcement at 8:30 p.m. for a switch-up of skates. Even with the handover, the newly skate-less students were still dancing to different classics like “All Star” by Smash Mouth and the “Cha-Cha Slide.” Groves also stated, “Lots of students would return their skates and take a break by spending time with their friends and even creating a dance floor right next to the rink.” 
No injuries were reported from the wipe-outs on the rink. Some teetered while others flew. Chairs surrounded the floor so people were able to periodically rest. A group of freshman girls were looking out for each other and while taking turns holding each other’s hands for balance, a very confident boy zipped by and fell. Near the end, a student told the Mass Media, “I’m really glad I came, I never would’ve met some of these people and I’m having a ton of fun.”