With piles of homework assignments and hectic schedules this semester, Oswego State students may find themselves needing to step back from their coffee cup laden desk. Lifestyles Center Peer Mentor Stacy Palacious invites students to “get out of their room and leave stress behind” at Open Mic Night at Lake Effect Cafe in Penfield Library.

This is Palacious’s second semester as the Open Mic intern in charge of putting together the weekly performance showcase. There have been several changes this year, mostly involving the food offered to performers.

“We felt that it didn’t make sense to have greasy pizza when we are promoting health choices,” Palacious said.

Now, vegetable and cheese platters can be found next to the sign-up sheet in the cafe.

“But we still have coffee,” Palacious said, “We’ll always have coffee.”

Those who bring their own mug can get coffee or tea for free from the Lake Effect Cafe.

One of the biggest goals for the Lifestyles Center as a whole is to increase attendance at the weekly event.

“We really want to spread the word more this semester, describing efforts by the Lifestyles Center of hanging up more posters around campus and posting more on social media,” Palacious said. “Compared to last semester, it’s always the goal to get more people to come and hang out and share their talent. But if they don’t know about it, they won’t come.”

The event, sponsored by the Lifestyles Center every Thursday, promotes healthy living through providing nutritious snacks and relaxing board games for students to enjoy. Coloring sheets and crayons are provided on several tables to enhance the laid back atmosphere for those who come to perform or just to watch.

While performing in front of an audience can be nerve-wracking for many, Palacious describes Open Mic Night as “a safe place to express yourself.”

Whether students choose to read poetry, play guitar or perform standup comedy, Palacious guarantees a positive environment for them to “be heard.”

Stage fright, however, may hinder some students from attending Open Mic Night. Performers Cam & Jordan, a duo who play guitar and percussion regularly, advise anxious students to “have no doubts, just perform.”

“Once you get up there, you have already won their [the audience’s] respect,” Cam said. “They will love anything you do because you had the guts to get up there.”

The duo agreed that those who attend Open Mic Night “are some of the most nonjudgmental people out there. No one is going to laugh if you miss a note or mess up the words or anything.”

During their performance in the cafe, the two musicians took requests from the audience, playing acoustic renditions of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love,”

Senior Alec Goldstein, who read an original poem titled “Implosion,” said he performs at the event whenever he can.

Along with reading his own poetry, Goldstein plays guitar at Open Mic Night. He called the ambience in the Lake Effect Cafe, “better than anywhere else on campus. It gets so cold outside in Oswego, but it’s just so warm in here with all these happy people.”

When asked to describe the atmosphere in one word, he said, “Forgiving.”

Pelacious explained how the Lifestyles Peer Educators who work the event are open to helping nervous performers overcome their fear.

“We don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable,” Palacious said. “So we tell people who are really scared to wait until the end when there are less people watching.”

Those from the Lifestyles Center who run the event make sure to participate and perform.

“We have to practice what we preach,” Palacious said, mentioning that her last performance a few weeks ago was singing “Breaking Free” from the movie “High School Musical.”

New changes this semester include two themed nights–with Pajama Night on March 2 and Luau Night on April 27. All attendees are encouraged to wear theme-appropriate attire and partake in the fun of a special night in the cafe.

“I’m bringing my pajamas to change into after my class,” Palacious said. “There’s no way I’m missing out on pajama night.”

While the food options and themed events have changed through the years since Open Mic Night debuted in 2011, the overall message has              remained consistent.

“We want people to get out of their rooms and step out of their comfort zones,” Palacious said.

She advocated that students should not view the showcase as another extracurricular to stress about, but a retreat to escape to when the college lifestyle becomes overwhelming.

“Everyone should stop by at some point and see what it’s all about,” Palacious said. “Because it’s awesome. Simple as that.”