R.A.G.E. holds dance party

Update: April 10, 10:41 a.m.

The Skin Cells play at R.A.G.E.'s first concert on March 25. R.A.G.E., which stands for Residential Areas Get Energized, hopes to bring a jolt of energy to campus life during the weekends. (photo credit: R.A.G.E. Facebook page) 

On weekdays George Mason University is filled with students studying, going to events and socializing with each other—but with commuters gone during the weekends the campus can be very slow and quiet.

R.A.G.E, which stands for Residential Areas Get Energized, hopes to solve this problem and keep the campus energized on Friday and Saturday evenings.

“[R.A.G.E is] a student org dedicated to putting on late-night weekend concerts,” said R.A.G.E. President Seth Dunoff.

The concerts, which feature both local and out-of-state bands, typically start around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and can go well into the evening until midnight or 1 a.m..

“We just want to have a late night party atmosphere because we know that going to frats off campus is kind of shady—you have to get rides and wait around for them. . .We just wanted something on campus that kids could go to and have fun and have it be safe,” said Dunoff.

Dunoff, along with other members, started the group in November of last year, but were just recognized as an official Mason organization over the last few weeks. The group currently has about 15 members, and has already had their first concert last month which featured the Skin Cells, a punk-rock band.

The idea for R.A.G.E. came after Dunoff along with his friends found that campus life during the weekends at Mason were often dull, particularly for students who lived in Eastern Shore, where Dunoff lives, calling them “isolated.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time just hanging out in the dorms—I live in Eastern Shore, and. . . [it] is kind of isolated from the other freshmen dorms. If you live in the Park there are just all these buildings around you, there’s always people around and I guess [it’s] kind of the same thing in the Commons,” said Dunoff.

“Eastern Shore is just one really nice building, and there were just a lot of nights where we were just bored and.  . .[R.A.G.E.] was just something to do.”

Eastern Shore serves as the Honor College’s Living Learning Community, with Dunoff’s floor reserved for University Scholar students. Dunoff thought his floor particularly could be slow during the weekends, and sought to create community within the different residential halls.

R.A.G.E. hosted their second concert Saturday evening in the Johnson Center Bistro. Called the Spring Electro Concert, R.A.G.E. hosted DJ Brobot, a two-person DJ group comprised of DJ TCUP and DJ Interrobang, the Capital Coast Project and Forever the Win. Doors opened at 9 p.m. and admission was free with a Mason ID. Dunoff described the music as house electric.

“We just want people to enjoy themselves [and] not be super uptight. . .We definitely want to have people be themselves and have fun,” said Dunoff.