What do laser tag, Rockband, bounce houses and casino tables all have in common?
Answer: They’ve all been part of featured activites of a Spotlight Panther Prowl event in the last year.
That sounds great, right? Now if only Panther Prowl events were as as cool as they’re made out to be.
For mediocre activities at best, they’re frequently plauged with long lines and a decidedly underage audience. And the sad reality of the student fee-supported programming is that too often the events are seen as an absolute last resort when planning for the weekend.
Because with exciting themes like “Panther Prowl: YOLO,” who wouldn’t want to go – except for maybe freshman and those looking for free food?
But the point of this editorial is not to just jump on Spotlight. Not all of their programming is as miserable as the Panther Prowl events. Take the “Blue at the Zoo” and “Panthers on Ice” events, for example.
Here are two external Georgia State exclusive events of direct interest to most students, particularly communters, who often have little incentive to stay beyond classes, much less attend lackluster events like Panther Prowl, but might be more interested in visiting iconic Atlanta landmarks.
Still, while Spotlight is often able to get great deals to secure these locations for student activities, cost can still be a prohibative factor in preventing people from going.
So instead of spending money on Panther Prowl events, which seem to have a very poor reputation among most around campus, why not put that money toward making extracurricular outings like “GSU Six Flags Day” free or even more affordable to attend?
Fernbank, Stone Mountain, the World of Coke museum and the SkyView ferris wheel are just a few of the places Georgia State could visit through Spotlight. A “GSU night” at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, High Museum of Art or Turner Field wouldn’t be inappropriate, either.
Next time you head to buy that discount ticket for GSU Night at the aquarium, think how much better it’d be if that ticket were free since you don’t really go to the Panther Prowls anyway.
