UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 3, Page 3
September 15, 1994
Neon nook; New Hen Zone scores big with local sports fans

     Compared to getting into the end zone at Blue Hens' football
games in Delaware Stadium on a Saturday afternoon, gaining entrance to
the Hen Zone in the Perkins Student Center is relatively easy.
     You don't have to worry about being steam rollered by 250-pound
defensive tackles or getting blitzed by kamikaze linebackers.
     All you have to do is walk down the stairs behind the information
booth in the Perkins Student Center, turn left and look for the neon
YoUDee that welcomes visitors to this latest on-campus entertainment
area.
     "We worked around the clock during the month of August to get
things ready," said building supervisor Chris Stewart.
     That work included new felt covering and balancing of the six
pool tables, widening the narrow entrance way that limited access in
the past and wrapping the whole thing in a glowing neon ribbon.
     "Thanks to the new layout, the area is more visible to the
public," according to Stewart, who said he hopes the Hen Zone will not
remain one of the University's best-kept secrets.
     Visitors who make the trek downstairs can unwind from the daily
grind of academic life by playing fooseball, Ping-Pong or shooting a
few games of pool.
     Those who take the game of pool more seriously can compete in the
single elimination 8-ball and 9-ball tournaments, held Fridays 4 p.m.,
where first prize can be worth up to $50.
     "I would say that the gaming area, which includes the Ping-Pong
and pool tables, is a success," Chris Murphy, assistant director of
the Perkins Student Center, said. "We are getting a good mixture of
crowds."
     On the opposite side of the gaming area is the Bacchus Theatre,
where live music by local bands can be heard on Wednesday nights.
     Disc jockeys take over at the controls of the new eight-speaker
sound system on Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to closing, offering a
wide variety of tunes from Eric Clapton to the Smashing Pumpkins.
     The two sides of the Hen Zone complement each other.
     "Students who come down to shoot a few games of pool are
surprised to find out that a DJ or a band is playing next door,"
Stewart said.
     "On the other side, people in Bacchus, which is kind of dark, are
struck with the brightness of the neon lights in the games room."
     Football fans also will find something to cheer about as they
watch their favorite NFL teams battle it out on weekends and on Monday
nights on the Hen Zone's 54-inch projection television.
     "The activities are priced with the students in mind" Stewart
said. "They are much lower than anything you are going to get
locally."
     Students who have visited the Hen Zone this semester have noticed
the changes.
     "There is a big difference in the place this year," said Jerome
Walker, a senior geology major and Hen Zone attendant. "Some of my
friends have dropped in and said that they really liked it."
     Walker credits the neon lighting and live entertainment in
Bacchus-including comedy nights and other special live performances-
as a big plus in bringing in new customers.
     "The atmosphere is kind of different. It's much livelier," Walker
said. "Compared with last year, there are a lot more people coming
down here."
     "We feel that we have provided students with a facility where
they can come and enjoy themselves once they get out of the
classroom," Murphy said. "We are excited about the place and we hope
the students will be too."
                                                         -Jerry Rhodes