Set Friday appears to have lost its magic

There was a time not so long ago when Set Friday was the place to be. Photo courtesy of @FrankNoBenji on Twitter

As the decade comes to an end, so too it seems is a FAMU tradition known simply as Set Friday.

It has been a staple of the FAMU experience for many years. The Set provides a place for students to relax and unwind after a long week.

The Set features a live DJ performance every Friday and allows organizations on campus — sororities, fraternities, dance teams, modeling troupes and others — to come together and showcase their talents.

Since the beginning of this semester students have seen a decrease in participation on The Set, and its fall-off is getting a lot of mixed reviews from students and alumni.

Rameau Morency, a third year construction engineering major who also works for the Office of Student Activities, shared his thoughts on the matter and how he believes it could be improved. Morency actively helps the vendors at The Set organize their tables and tents to prepare for the day’s activities.

“As an employee of the Office of Student Activities I am definitely saddened by the decrease in attendance at The Set.  The Set is a huge part of FAMU’s culture and for us as a student body to just throw that away, it sucks,” Morency said.

While this issue a problem for some students, it is also a letdown for vendors who come out and sell their products.

Erykah “Mocha” Clarke, a fourth-year student, is an entrepreneur and has attended The Set many times as a student and also as a business owner.

“Prior to being on The Set as an entrepreneur I attended as a student and going as a student was nothing short of amazing,” she said. “It exposed me to different people, organizations and small business. I was indeed inspired from a distance.”

Clarke eventually launched her business, MakeupByMochaa, and MochaasMinkCollection, where she offers full glam makeup services and also sells a variety of extravagant strip lashes.

“What is for you will always be for you, so despite me no longer attending The Set because of the low number of people showing up, I will always find a way to promote and expand MakeupByMochaa,” she said.

Although many upperclassmen are saddened by The Set “dying,” there are students in the class of 2023 who have very different thoughts on the matter.  Maya Ellison, a freshman journalism major, said that one class cannot be blamed for the poor attendance at The Set.

“As far as Set Friday for the most part the energy died down over time. At the beginning of the semester everyone came out but toward the end the number of people started to decline. The argument about who should come out and why FAMU ’23 doesn’t have any spirit is somewhat irrelevant,” she said. “The Set Is about unity so you can’t blame one class.”

Students hope in the coming semesters that this sacred FAMU tradition can be rekindled as it is a staple of the Rattler experience.