Contact: Kelley Bozeman

“Our goal was to create an alcohol-free event that would give students a stress-free break from the pressures of finals’ week. We know students have a lot on their minds during this week. They can take a break, get some free food, have fun, and then get back to their studies.”

-- Randy Gonzalez,
director of Student Affairs administration

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 12, 2003) -- From the late night hours of Monday, Dec. 15, until the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 16, University of Kentucky administrators, faculty and staff will be serving a free breakfast to any and all UK students who are preparing for final exams.

Finals Midnight Crunch Brunch is a UK tradition held each year in Memorial Coliseum and organized by UK’s Division of Student Affairs. Its purpose is to help students handle the stress of finals while communicating to them that faculty and staff are supportive of their efforts.

“Our goal was to create an alcohol-free event that would give students a stress-free break from the pressures of finals’ week,” said Randy Gonzalez, director of Student Affairs administration and co-chairperson on the event’s planning committee. “We know students have a lot on their minds during this week. They can take a break, get some free food, have fun, and then get back to their studies.”

Gonzalez said the Crunch Brunch, now in its third year, has exceeded expectations.

“When Tammy Howard, assistant dean of students, suggested the idea because of memories of a similar event at her alma mater, I think she had some idea that it would be well received—but perhaps not this well received. At the inaugural Crunch Brunch, students were lined up around Memorial Coliseum about an hour before the doors were scheduled to open,” Gonzalez said.

“Approximately 2,000 students were served breakfast that night, and last year the number increased to about 2,500, so we’re expecting an even larger crowd this year,” he said.

Alumni Affairs, Athletics, Multicultural Affairs, Residence Life, the Counseling and Testing Center, and other departments on campus have once again collaborated with a campuswide committee to plan the event and to offer students not only a free hot breakfast, but also a variety of fun, stress-relieving activities. For example, UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. will play pool with the students, UK Women’s Basketball Coach Mickie DeMoss will shoot basketball, and free neck and shoulder massages will be offered. Some of UK’s most popular professors and administrators will offer their evening to serve the late night breakfast.