Friday, Sept. 18, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. BSU Hip-hop dance –– The Black Student Union, surging with new, first-year members, prepares to kick off the year with one of its most popular events. With the Indestructible Space Hamster spinning Hip-Hop, R&B and Top 40 music, this dance is sure to pack the Reid ballroom with sweaty bodies. And what better way to forget that increasingly insurmountable pile of homework than a good, old-fashioned dance party?

Saturday, Sept. 19, 7-9 p.m. Coffeehouse Open Mic –– Skeptically speaking, open mic nights have the potential to be not only pretentious, but boring. However, anyone who’s been to one here will tell you that they’re anything but dull. Events like this one are actually where quite a few of our most popular student bands started out. Chances are good that you’ll see one or more of the bands we covered in our last issue’s campus bands preview, as well as some new groups, hopefully. Reid Basement.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 10 p.m. Varsity Nordic –– Whitman’s premiere improv comedy troupe, formerly T-Sports, plays its second show of the semester in Kimball Theater. Those interested in joining can come to their upcoming open workshops on Sept. 18, 21 and 25, also in Kimball at 10 p.m.