By Montana McCullough
Student Reporter
The Nite Lite has been the premier hot spot for college kids for the past 30 years.
But at the beginning of the semester, students found out that their hangout spot was closing down.
Students have been confused about why their favorite spot is closed down. People have been taking guesses as to why the Nite Lite has shut its doors.
There is one theory going around about why the Nite Lite shut down. That theory would be that Northwestern Oklahoma State
University banned the students from going out there.
Student athletes in the past have been told by their coaches not to go out during their season. The coaches of the teams made those decisions, not the university.
The reason that the Nite Lite shut down was because of a new law that takes effect in October. This new law states that gas stations, convenience stores and bar can sell a higher percentage of alcohol. The law also requires all employees to possess a license to serve drinks, either mixed or just beer. That would mean that every bartender would have to do 14 days worth of training to become certified to serve drinks.
With those two parts of the law in place, the Nite Lite would have to do different training for their bartenders.
This means changing almost everything that the Nite Lite does when it hires and trains new girls to be bartenders.
One more part of the new alcohol laws is that every bar in the state has to have the age restriction 21 years of age or older by October 1st. The reason for this is because all of the alcohol being served will now contain a higher alcohol content level.
A former bartender, Betty Hulbert, said, “The Nite Lite had to close because all of the bars in the state have to be 21 and up by October 1st.”
Older students are still confused as to why the Nite Lite shut down.
One thing those students don’t understand is that most of the patrons that go into the Nite Lite are under the age of 21.
So with the new law taking effect, that would take out a majority of the business the Nite Lite has.
Dakota Nusser, a Northwestern senior, said, “The Nite Lite closing is difficult for the Alva and Northwestern community. The Nite Lite was where everyone went to hang out.” Nobody knows what to do now that the only club in town for 18 year olds and up is closed down.
“I don’t know what the kids under 21 are going to do now,” Nusser said. “There’s not really a hangout spot for them to go to now.”
There is the bowling alley and the movie theater people can go to, but people don’t want to just sit around and talk or watch a movie. People want to dance and make fools of themselves.
The Nite Lite has been the place where people have gone to blow off steam. They can dance and laugh their worries away.
Tiana Eaton, Northwestern senior, said, “I liked going out to the Nite Lite to dance and see all of my friends. It was the one place we could all get together and have fun.”
A few more of Northwestern’s students felt the same way as Tiana. One of them is Northwestern sophomore, Lane Haas.
“I loved going to the Nite Lite to two-step,” Haas said. “I could always find someone who would want to dance with me.”
The Nite Lite use to play all different genres of music. Sometimes you would hear the same music over and over again, but you couldn’t help but get up and dance to it. Dakota Monday, a former Northwestern student, said, “I always complained about the music but I honestly didn’t care what they played. I just wanted to dance and have a good time with my friends.”
Since the Nite Lite has closed down, students have been trying to figure out other ways to have fun. There have been more house parties and also kids just sitting in their dorm rooms playing video games.
“I don’t like just sitting around and doing nothing,” Haas said. “I get bored easily and don’t like to waste my time.”
The Nite Lite atmosphere was one that could calm a person and encourage them to have fun. Now students are wondering if they are ever going to find calm again when they go out. “I’m going to miss the Nite Lite,” Eaton said. “Alva just won’t be the same without it being open.”
There could be the possibility that it could open back up next semester, but that’s not likely.
“The Nite Lite is closed indefinitely,” Hulbert said. “The rumor about it opening up again is just that, a rumor.”
So now with no Nite Lite, Northwestern students are going to have to find something else to do with their free time.