UVA Alumni Association cracks the code for Gen Z bingo nights

Student Experience

UVA Alumni Association cracks the code for Gen Z bingo nights

The student announcer calls out “B-4” from the front of Newcomb Ballroom, and a sea of voices shouts back in unison: “And after!”

Laughter ripples through the crowd as students mark their bingo cards and lean over to compare squares with neighbors. On a Wednesday night in February, this is where University of Virginia students chose to be: playing bingo with the UVA Alumni Association.

What might seem like a hobby reserved for baby boomers or retirement homes has become one of the association’s most anticipated social events on Grounds. The monthly bingo nights regularly draw between 150 and 300 students. The February event attracted 152 students, though the tradition has seen as many as 342 attendees at its largest gathering.

Students play multiple variations: traditional bingo, “four corners” and “unlucky bingo,” where the goal is to avoid filling any squares, while competing for dozens of prizes from local businesses and national retailers.

The association began the games in the 2015-16 academic year. When the pandemic forced Hoos inside, virtual bingo nights kept the community students loved alive.

Over the shoulders of two students holding a reusable wooden bingo card with slides to go over each number

The association uses reusable bingo cards to move seamlessly between rounds, including traditional bingo, “four corners,” and “unlucky bingo.” (Photo by Andy Franck, UVA Alumni Association)

“The virtual sessions still had great attendance and a strong sense of community,” said Mary Elizabeth Luzar, the alumni association’s senior director of student engagement.

Fourth-year biology major Madeline Livingston has attended about 20 bingo nights since arriving at UVA.

“I always thought it was such a funny college activity, as I only knew retirees to be avid bingo players,” she said. “But once I started going with some friends from class, I had so much fun meeting and talking to new people each time, so I just kept going.”

Last semester, a friend encouraged her to audition for a caller role, and she got the gig. In February, she brought her own energy to the microphone for the first time, sharing fun statistics with each number relevant to the time of year. After calling B-7, for instance, she added, “7% of Americans give Valentine’s gifts to their pets.”

“I was nervous at the beginning, but everyone was just so excited to be there, and I quickly got over the nerves,” Livingston said. “It was really fun to see the event from another perspective.”

Fourth-year Spanish major Maguire Hansel attended her first bingo night last month and won the “four corners” round. As her prize, she selected a three-class pass to FlyDog Yoga, a studio on Millmont Street.

FlyDog Yoga has been donating three-class packs to bingo nights for years, a partnership that’s personal for co-owner Eliza Whiteman. Her husband, Brad Whiteman, is a 2009 graduate of the Darden School of Business who served in the U.S. Army before attending UVA.

The couple opened the studio in 2014 after deciding to make Charlottesville their permanent home.

“FlyDog Yoga is proud to support the UVA Alumni Association in honor of our deep connection to this community,” Whiteman said. “My co-owner and husband is a proud UVA alumnus, and we are grateful for the education and relationships that shaped this journey. Giving back is our way of supporting a network that continues to inspire leadership and lifelong connection.”

Close up of the cage that holds the balls to be called, left, and the two students running the game and calling the numbers, right

Student bingo announcers – chosen through competitive auditions – call numbers from the front of the room, keeping the energy high with the occasional bingo pun. (Photos by Andy Franck, UVA Alumni Association)

The partnership also offers business benefits: “An alumni raffle puts your studio in front of engaged, local, educated professionals,” Whiteman said. “Even if only one person redeems the prize, dozens – sometimes hundreds – now know your name.”

Other local businesses donating prizes include Mincers, Shenandoah Joe’s, Purvelo, The Nook, The Looking Glass, and Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop. Other prizes include gift cards to the UVA Bookstore, Amazon, Uber, Target, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Chipotle and more.

Bingo night is part of the alumni association’s effort to create meaningful experiences for current students.

“The alumni association is committed to building meaningful relationships with current undergraduate Hoos,” Anna Jeffery, assistant director of student engagement, said.

“We strive to host events where all students feel welcomed and seen, regardless of year, major or background. Our goal is to ensure students feel genuinely cared for by their alumni family – because once a Hoo, always a Hoo.”

The philosophy extends to the association’s future home, Aggarwal Hall, which operates under a similar theme of “a home for every Hoo.”

“Every bingo night I’ve attended, I’ve met people who go every month and who have never been before,” Livingston said. “It’s such a great way to meet new people and engage in the UVA community. And you might walk home with a gift card to a local business and some snacks.”

The next bingo night will be held on March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Newcomb Ballroom.