It seems so simple.

Families do it. Friends at a sleep-over do it. Sometimes an entire floor of a residence hall does it. Theaters do it all the time.

Movie night. It’s an easy way to get a bunch of people together to watch what is hoped to be a great movie. Or terrible movie, if the aim is to show one that’s so bad it’s good.

The All-Campus Programming Board began hosting weekend Midnight Movies this semester. The selection is pretty impressive. Most are new releases. Some are old but well-loved. Either way, they should bring, or already have brought, a crowd.

We’ve seen a big turnaround in ACPB within the past year. It wasn’t too long ago that the Stater editorial board or a columnist who will remain nameless would tear into ACPB for the act it would bring in (remember Chingy?). Our Web site would then host a flame war among readers. Ah, the good ol’ days.

We like the direction ACPB is taking. A person’s taste in music seems to be as divisive as politics these days. Bring in one group/singer and you alienate half of the student body. Bring in another and maybe no one will show up.

Going smaller and offering more is a great way to appeal to everyone’s interests. Look at what they’ve done since last year. They brought in Bob Saget, put on the student comedy shows and smaller concerts and hosted other movie nights. With the exception of Saget, these weren’t all that expensive.

We hope the recent entertainment planned by ACPB is a sign of things to come. That’s why it’s a shame ACPB won’t be around for much longer after the new Undergraduate Student Government absorbs them.

Nothing against the current senators – it’s not their fault. The student body voted last spring in the referendum put together by the previous group of senators to let the new student government take over the board. Granted, only about 10 percent of the student body voted (and of those who voted, only half voted on the referendum).

Spilt milk?

Anyway, the best way to get more students involved and in attendance is to give them more options. Smaller shows, local acts, movie nights – simple events like these draw in a sizable crowd. It’s decent entertainment that lets students do something fun without having to leave campus. Given the current weather, the less time spent outside, the better.

So go, relax and enjoy a movie. Come on, Animal House is pure genius. At the very least, it’s a reason to share popcorn with a friend.

The above editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board, whose members are listed to the left.