On Monday, Rowan’s Edelman Planetarium in Science Hall lit up with lasers instead of stars for the first ever “It’s Lit: Light Show.”

The light show was run by the Student University Programmers (SUP) and made history as the first ever tech event for the organization.

Alyson Hilland, a senior accounting major and the director of technical services for SUP, proposed and began planning the event in September. She worked with Spellcaster Productions in Hammonton, N.J. to rent the equipment and get trained on the light board, something that was challenging but fun for her.

The event ran from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and had four shows total, falling into the themes of Today’s Hits or Northern Lights. Today’s Hits featured songs Hilland thought many college students would like, and included songs by Black Beatles, Ariana Grande and The Chainsmokers. Today’s Hits was completely live and required Hilland to change the lights herself as the music played.

Northern Lights, on the other hand, was preset ahead of time by Hilland. This show featured more relaxing, instrumental songs that were still recognizable to students, including songs by Calvin Scott and Michael Jackson.

The shows were well-attended for a first-time event. 194 people checked in throughout the night.

The reviews were mixed regarding the shows. Kate Wyatt, who graduated in 2015 and worked in the OSA office as the tech services coordinator for Rowan After Hours, commended Hilland’s use of resources and the uniqueness of the event.

“I thought it was awesome. I like that she was thinking outside the box because a lot of things are confined to the Student Center,” Wyatt said. “Sometimes we do an off-campus thing but we have to use other equipment, so I think it was awesome that she was using the school’s equipment, the school’s facility and doing something like this.”

Zach Dodrill, a senior political science major, enjoyed the light show and the break from school it gave him.

“I liked it. It was really relaxing,” Dodrill said. “It’s not the kind of music I would listen to, but it was still really fun. It took a lot of work to put on.”

Some students were not as pleased with the light show. Freshman biology major Neha Ashraf, although excited at first for new event, was disappointed with the quality of the entertainment.

“Honestly, I thought they could have done a lot better,” Ashraf said. “There weren’t a lot of lights. I expected a lot, but I guess my expectations were too high. It was good for it being free. The music choice was great.”

Although not all reactions were positive, the event overall went very well, according to Hilland. Graduating this May, Hilland will not be around to continue this event next year, but hopes SUP will take the groundwork she laid out and improve upon it.

“I’m not sure if they will do this event in the future, but I’m think there are a lot of ways they can expand upon this and keep making it bigger and better as time continues,” Hilland said. “I’m really happy with the audience. Since the turnout was so successful, I think it really is something to consider doing in the future.”

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