Friday night at Colgate looked a little different on February 5 in the Chapel Basement, thanks to a new initiative by the Office of the Chaplains. The Late Night Committee, an organization looking to promote alternative nighttime social scenes on campus, hosted their first event of the semester, “As You Wish.”

The “As You Wish” theme called for a smattering of Chinese wish lanterns, Japanese wish trees and the ever-popular fortune cookies, complemented by tea candles, strings of Christmas lights and sparkling golden decorations. The event was like a cozier version of an open-mic night. Without a setlist, audience members came prepared with acoustic guitars or original poetry, ready to perform. For the audience members who were not as accustomed to the spotlight, they could sit and sip on a cup of tea, or munch on miniature golden cupcakes without worry.

Some of the star performers of the night included Reverend James (Putter) Cox, who played acoustic guitar and sang covers of Johnny Cash and Beatles songs, making sure to apologize to John Lennon. He was followed by first-year Quan Vu, who opted not to sing, but played melodic renditions of Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On,” a K-Pop song dedicated to his friends in the audience and the title track from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The Chapel Basement catered to a crowd of mostly women, and mostly people who were looking for easygoing socializing at the end of a long week. This desire is what motivated junior Joanna Howe, a member of the Late Night Committee and organizer of the “As You Wish” event, to work to change Colgate’s default Friday nights.

“Our goal is to create alternative social spaces,” Howe said. “Colgate has a limited social scene, and it can be really alienating. I think it’s important to create space to do something different, where people feel safe and comfortable.”

“As You Wish” was only the first Late Night event of the semester, and there are five more to follow throughout the term. The Late Night Committee has been around for two years, but Manager of the Office of the Chaplains, Marsha Collett, has taken it under her wing to invigorate a new kind of nightlife at Colgate.