It was a long wait outside Woodruff Hall on Tuesday, October 14, 2003, for the gymnasium doors to open and the "madness" to begin. Midnight Madness, the official kickoff of the Adelphi basketball season, is the one time during the Adelphi school year when students come together to show school spirit. Different organizations from Greek societies to athletic teams came out in hefty numbers to support the AU Panthers, making a great start for Homecoming Week.

Of course, there was a great buzz among the crowd as they brought up the 2001 brawl that banned Midnight madness for two years. Many people voiced the same worry: Would Midnight Madness be marred yet again by the scandals of past years? Well, once the games began, their worries melted away amidst the screams, shouts, and anticipation for the upcoming events. With all of the money being thrown on the ground for blindfolded students to gather, festivities provided by the NCAA's mascot JJ Jumper, and prizes to win, who had time to worry about danger?

Danielle Patterson, a sophomore whose raffle number was randomly picked, participated in an event that involved her spinning herself dizzy around a bat before making a series of basketball shots. "When I first got started, I was a little embarrassed, but it got better as soon as I won." Thanks to the basketball skills she acquired from having athletic older brothers, Patterson was awarded a brand new CD player; a prize any student would love to win. But there was another prize that grabbed the attention of AU students, and it was cash with a capital "C." A 10,000 dollar check would be awarded to the person who could make a lay up shot, a shot at the free throw line, one at the three point line, and then the last at half court before 25 seconds ran up. With 3 out of 4 shots, Freshman Mark Pollard nearly brought that check home. "I definitely didn't expect to get so close to winning," he said modestly. But the fans he acquired from the sidelines sympathize with his loss, and can most definitely feel his pain.

Prizes were not the only thing that kept the crowd on their feet. Adelphi provided a series of entertainment that rocked the gym immensely. Adelphi's Dance team, Cheerleading team, Step team, and even the new dance team, currently called the Hip Hoppers, all ahd the audience at "hello." Tracy Cohen, a junior on AU Panther's cheerleading squad, showed great pride in their performance. "We were all pumped, ready to shake our butts. And even though we weren't perfect, we still had fun," she said. The crowd surely enjoyed their performance, but the red spot light was all on the AU step team. Coached by Alum Dorothea Gilkes, AU Paws brought down the house, getting more cheers from the bleachers than any other dance team. With their elaborate movements and amazing outfits, they outdid themselves.

At exactly 12:04 the lady panthers made their entrance. Seniors Jamie Douglas, Julana Apandi, and Kerri Kirschbaum; juniors, Melanie Mangone, Tamarra Richardson, Laura Philips, and Meranne Whitney; sophomores, Carlyshia Hurle, Myrna Tangar, and Michelle Mcguire, as well as freshmen, betty Mendieta, Kelly Canpbell, and Danielle Dichiara were introduced to the Adelphi crowd, receiving standing ovations.

The men's basketball team followed suit. Seniors Thomas McCormick and Dwayne Thompsn; junior Philip Valenti sophomores, Jamaal Wagner, Taylor Murphy, Eric Martin, Ben Kenyon, and William Smith; and freshmen Samuel Jenkins, Thomas Paul, Keshaun Horne, Kimani Blaize, Darrell Wease, and mike Mosby all came out with lots of energy, as they were introduced to Adelphi. Number 23, Taylor Murphy, caused a few girls in the bleachers to "ooh" and "aah" over his becoming appearance, only to be smiled at by the woman sitting nearby who, to their embarrassment, made herself known as his mother.

"Could Adelphi actually become a real university? After this midnight madness it might. So what if there was torrential rain after and everybody got soaked... it was all part of the madness," Junior Funmi Taiwo said. At that, the upperclassmen around her nodded in agreement.