Senate discussed plans for the upcoming Lion Night the organization will help sponsor in April at their meeting Feb. 7.

The event will cost approximately $1,000 to host, said John Thigpen, senator.

The money will fund a number of things, including setup and cleanup, he said.

Thigpen reported to Senate members that he had met with Teryl Shields, executive director of Florence Main Street, in preparation for the next Lion Night.

“The main goal of this event is to offer a way for downtown businesses to showcase themselves to students and show what they have to offer,” Thigpen said.

This event is something that will hopefully be long-term, said Will Riley, SGA president. He said he hopes this event will take place eight times during the year. Funds needed each year would total $8,000.

“The money for this needs to be allocated in the budget if we’re going to continue doing this in the future,” Riley said. “It’s definitely doable, and if we contact the right people, coming into the funds shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Attendees expressed different concerns with the last Lion Night that could be improved for the next event, Thigpen said.

“Students said we should find more routes for buses to run during the event,” he said. “We could also use better PR for future Lion Nights.”

Local businesses reported being pleased with the overall turnout and outcome of the first Lion Night, Thigpen said.

“If we continue, this could potentially be pretty big for every party involved,” Riley said. “I do think this needs to be a big SGA-collaborative effort with UPC, though.”

Determining the sustainability of the event is important, said Jordan Brasher, Senate vice president.

Lion Night is a joint effort between SGA, UNA Athletics, the Division of Student Affairs and Florence Main Street, Riley said.

The inaugural Lion Night was held Sept. 18. The exact head count for the night is unknown, Riley said last semester.

The previous Lion Night offered discounts for students at several downtown businesses and restaurants and featured live musical performances from local artists such as SCM Electrix and Madeleine Frankford.