West Virginia University’s (WVU) Student Life team has a program — Mountaineer Connections — aimed at addressing student loneliness and providing engaging late-night programming on campus. While one long-standing event series has been successfully held at our downtown campus for several years, the geographic spread of WVU presents challenges in reaching students residing on other parts of campus.
To help bridge this gap, WVU Campus Recreation was tasked with launching a new initiative during the spring semester to better serve students at a separate campus location. Leveraging available space and our programmatic strengths, we introduced Midnight Mountaineers, a monthly event series designed to offer dynamic and inclusive activities for students.
Each Midnight Mountaineer event featured a variety of high-energy, organized activities such as archery tag, laser tag, dodgeball, climbing wall and inner tube water polo. To appeal to students seeking a more relaxed experience, we also hosted pop-in activities including bracelet-making, Nintendo Switch gaming, canvas painting and poolside movie screenings. Additionally, students had the opportunity to participate in a community-focused art project by painting bowls for Empty Bowls — a local fundraiser that supports food insecurity initiatives in Morgantown.
To further enhance student engagement, we offered free food and held raffle giveaways every 30 minutes throughout the night.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. Each event attracted over 200 students with participation spanning across residential areas and academic levels from first-year undergraduates to doctoral candidates. Many students expressed appreciation for having large-scale events to look forward to outside of our traditional Up All Night programming on the Downtown campus.
To continually improve the experience, we conducted brief surveys after each event to gather feedback and assess overall satisfaction. Below are some of those testimonials:
“The Midnight Mountaineer event was a new exciting experience for me to get involved at Campus Rec and indulge in electrifying activities with my friends. No greater feeling than getting a walk-off arrow catch in archery tag to win the game!”
“I really love midnight Mountaineer! It’s such a cool opportunity to spend time playing games with friends, get moving, and spend your time doing something good for your body and fun. I like that there are games and crafts, and the food is always a plus!”
“The Midnight Mountaineer series has been an incredible way to build community and unwind with fellow students. One of my favorite parts of the Midnight Mountaineer series was the simple joy of relaxing in a hammock. Playing bingo with everyone brought unexpected fun and laughs, especially with the quirky prizes and friendly competition. Please keep organizing these events! They offer a unique blend of fun, connection and relaxation that’s much needed in the academic hustle.”
“I loved the food at Midnight Mountaineer. It was so good. I also loved the hot tub being open later with a movie option. This is seriously one of my favorite activities that I have attended as a WVU student.”
“I loved getting to meet new people! Having club sports run the games made it almost more inviting and helped me make new friends”
“I really enjoyed the Midnight Mountaineers event. It was a great way to take a break from classes and connect with other students. One of my most memorable moments was just relaxing by the pond with friends, listening to music and hanging out in the hammocks. It created such a chill and welcoming atmosphere. I also liked how many different activities there were. Everyone could find something they enjoyed, whether it was playing games, making crafts or joining the raffles. It felt like a good balance of fun and community, and I even met a few new people during the event. I definitely think WVU should keep doing this series. It helps bring students together in a positive way and gives us something fun to look forward to during the semester.”
We were thrilled with the positive outcomes of the Midnight Mountaineer event series. WVU Campus Recreation — in collaboration with Student Life — is excited to continue this initiative after witnessing firsthand the meaningful impact it has had on our students. Feedback from participants highlighted not only increased student engagement and physical activity, but also the development of social connections. Students shared that these events provided a fun and welcoming environment to spend time with current friends while also meeting new people, helping to foster a stronger sense of community across campus.
