College in the nude

Union Board has two really cool special events this weekend, and it got me to thinking, "What programs used to be popular with students?" \nUnion Board has a 90-year history of sponsoring events on the Bloomington campus, and a quick look through our files revealed that student interests have both changed and stayed the same over the years.\n1910-1930: The first popular motion picture show on a college campus was introduced by the Union in 1914. Around the same time, the board introduced the first play-by-play coverage of a collegiate baseball game, which paved the way for a popular grid that reported IU's play-by-play action for away football games. Can you imagine following a sports team without television or even radio?\n1930-1950: In 1932, in spite of the Great Depression, the board began sponsoring dances with the Association of Women Students. WWII made programming less of a priority in the 1940s, but the board sponsored free movies for soldiers as well as Friday night mixers. After the war, Union Board began programming in earnest with a concerts series, the Rhythm Room Nightclub and the opening of the Formal Season Dance.\n1950-1970: In 1952-53, women were admitted to Union Board with the merging of the Association of Women Students into Union Board. This period featured the Madrigal Feast, Fall Carnival and Campus Quiz Bowl. The late Bloomington Chancellor Herman B Wells, a former Union Board Director in his own right, is fondly remembered for dressing up as Santa Claus in the South Lounge and handing out candy canes to students. Also at this time, Union Board sponsored the IU Soccer Club and the cheerleaders.\n1970-1990: The 1970s saw music come to the forefront of Union Board programming, with concerts by Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. You will be proud to know that the Midwest's first discotheque, Club Lutrec, made its home in the Indiana Memorial Union. Lectures grew in popularity in the 1980s, and as a result, Union Board had three separate lecture series. Union Board also started its own television station, UBTV.\n1990-2000: Union Board continues to diversify our programming in an attempt to reach all students. The 1990s saw cooperative programming with other departments and campus groups, an example of which would be the 1997 lecture by Mikhail Gorbachev. \nWho knows what the next decade of UB programming will hold? It is very difficult to predict. I, for one, am pushing for a return to disco in the IMU.\nSince I can't predict the future, I would rather share with you what Union Board is doing now. The headline wasn't a cheap publicity tool, if you were wondering. It is actually the title of a speech to be given by Harlan Cohen, the syndicated advice columnist that most of you know as "Help me Harlan." He is speaking at 10 p.m. tonight in Alumni Hall of the IMU, and besides sharing with the audience his hilarious sense of humor, Harlan will talk candidly about his own sexual experiences. Well, maybe not the last part, but Harlan will educate the crowd on sexually transmitted diseases and resources that are available to students on this campus.\nAlso, at 10 p.m. Saturday in Alumni Hall, Union Board will feature "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." If you haven't ever attended a screening, come see what all the fuss is about. This isn't your average movie. It is interactive, as audience members often come dressed in costume, and all in attendance help make the show unique. Not only is the event totally free, but all attendees will get a bag with toast, toilet paper, rice and other assorted movie props. If you don't understand what I am talking about, you should definitely come Saturday. It is an experience.