In September 1996, Dr. Spanier and several student representatives discussed the issue of alcohol consumption and posed possible programs to target this issue during an informal conversation. Students felt that there were very few activities, if any, during the late hours on weekends. With this in mind, the idea of opening the HUB on Friday and Saturday nights manifested itself as a means to provide this much-needed entertainment. Dr. Spanier immediately embraced this idea by guaranteeing staffing, security, and food services for the program. The students themselves were left to program the evenings and secure funding for the programming. Shortly after, meetings for LateNight began and a committee was formed. As students worked to organize LateNight, obstacles prolonged successful launching of the program. Without the aid of staff members, the committee lacked insight into the system in which they were trying to operate.
 Furthermore, due to poor publicity and the unfamiliar novelty of the program LateNight experienced several failed attempts. As LateNight-PennState continued to actualize itself, organizational structure changes were made. A standing committee, consisting of members of the Student Affairs office, Food Services coordinators, and students was created to discuss and plan the activities. In addition, a director was hired in December 1996 to coordinate the LateNight-PennState events and activities of the committee. As a result of student and committee members working simultaneously and separately, spring of 1997 represented a time when the full potential of this initiative finally blossomed into substantial success. Since then, the program has grown from one event per evening to a minimum of five, and there are now a group of staff members and several committees for the program, as well as a tremendous amount of collaboration with students and student organizations.
 In the fall of 1999, HUB Late Night changed its name to LateNight-PennState, since the program now encompasses programming outside of the HUB. With the completion of the new Union Building and the inclusion of the Paul Robeson Culture Center into the building, the program continues to evolve. LateNight now offers cultural events and films on Thursdays, a full evening of programs (five or more events) on Fridays and Saturdays, and two showings of recently released movies on Sundays. Some of the events that have been phenomenal hits with the students include the Creative Crafts activity, where the students create hands-on art projects such as paint-your-own-pottery, jewelry making, and more. Swing and salsa dances, live music of all types, Bingo, table tennis, and a multitude of novelty acts (hypnotist, fantasy photos, side show artists, magicians) are also very popular with the students. The progress of LateNight-PennState has been astounding and wonderful to observe.
This type of programming is widely recognized as one of the key elements to nurturing a culture at a university that does not center on alcohol consumption. In addition, LateNight provides a necessary venue for quality, affordable entertainment for students who are already financially constrained. Therefore, it is essential that the funding for such a program is maintained and that the extreme amounts of effort invested into the improvement and reinvention of this creation continue.
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