By Megan Dreher & August Kissel, Staff Writers

Thursday afternoon, Manhattan College students witnessed the Student Government members blowing up a giant inflatable screen on the Quad while walking to and from class. They may not have realized that the students were preparing for the year’s first Movies on the Quad night. That evening students gathered to watch “Finding Dory,” the sequel to the ever popular “Finding Nemo.”

After a short hiatus, Student Body President, Dorian Persaud, was excited to have the opportunity to bring back one of his favorite events here at MC. “We haven’t had it in the past two years, and it was a big component of my freshman and sophomore year and I loved it. And then it disappeared and here I am two years later trying to bring it back,” Persaud said.

Students were very excited to hear about the movie choice, as “Finding Nemo” was a classic in their childhood. “’Finding Nemo’ was a major part of everyone’s childhood here so I said why not follow with ‘Finding Dory,’” Persaud said. The Student Government team also felt this movie was a good start because it was similar to Persaud’s first name.

Starting at 9:15 p.m. students of all ages met on the quad with movie watching necessities. “We brought a hammock that we hung on the Quad, and we also brought some snacks,” freshman Isabel Quinones said. Other students laid out blankets and pillows to enjoy the movie. The Student Government also provided other free snacks for the students that attended.

For some students, this was their first time seeing “Finding Dory” and for others they used this as a relaxing night with friends now that the semester is in full swing. “ I figured it would be a nice break in the week, something relaxing to do with friends,” freshman Zoe Nikolopoulos said. “I was looking for something to do on a Thursday night and we wanted to hangout outside,” Quinones said. On such a beautiful night, it made being outside both relaxing and enjoyable.

Throughout the course of the movie, students laughed together, and even applauded when Dory found her family. Whether a student is a freshman or a senior, all in attendance seemed to enjoy the night overall. Senior George Schlinck, recalls what past movie nights on the Quad were like.  “It’s always been mostly freshman who show up, which is different from freshman year when I came, because I was one of them and this year I was a part of the lesser crowd of upper classmen. But it was still very fun,” Schlinck said.

The atmosphere made for an enjoyable evening, one that Persaud was very pleased with. “The attendance was outstanding, and I hope everyone had a great night,” Persaud said. Other students agreed adding that they are looking forward to more Movies on the Quad. “If they do it soon enough that it’s still warm out then absolutely,” Schlinck said.

Movies on the Quad is returning Thursday at 9:15 p.m. The film has yet to be announced.