Upper Eastside Lofts, the off-campus residence affiliated with Sacramento State, held an open house event in an effort to attract new students.

The casino themed, “Viva Las Vegas at Upper Eastside Lofts,” offered free food, non-alcoholic drinks and games to the public. The event was hosted Thursday in the pool area of the housing complex, located at 6400 Folsom Blvd.

The Lofts, Sac State’s only off-campus housing, which is owned and operated through University Enterprises, Inc., was established in 2006. It was part of Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez’s Destination 2010 plan to provide more housing and make Sac State less of a commuter campus.

“There are a lot of students that are just unaware of the university’s off-campus housing option,” said Liani Harris, the Upper Eastside Lofts’ leasing and marketing manager. “We held this event so that we can invite those students to see it themselves.”

The Upper Eastside Lofts have been filled to capacity every year, and are already 95 percent to capacity this year. Regardless of how many vacancies there are, events are held every Thursday in an attempt to engage the community.

“We host dinners that give the students in our community the opportunity to plan a menu,” said Danny Hyche, manager of Upper Eastside Lofts. “Residents can bring their friends and introduce them to the community we have. What we’re doing today is the same idea on a larger scale.”

The open house was advertised through multiple fliers and the electronic billboards around campus. It promised casino games and complimentary food for students, along with tours of the complex.

“Another reason for hosting this is to give our community a fun, safe event for Cinco De Mayo,” Hyche said. “Many of our residents are under the legal drinking age, so we are providing the party atmosphere without the alcohol.”

Because it was held on Cinco De Mayo, the residents asked for Mexican food to be prepared. Roasted corn, tortillas and carnitas were presented buffet-style for the attendees.

Arnold Dallas, senior bio-chemistry major, was one of the non-resident students attracted to the event. He said while he is not planning on moving into the off-campus housing, the event seemed well thought out.

“How could you really go wrong with free food?” Dallas said. “Not only is it awesome to get a free meal, there’s really no better way of bringing in students.”

De’Anthony Jones, freshman government and sociology major, turned his $200 of gambling chips into $1,800 on blackjack during the day. He said during his time living in the residence, this has been the most entertaining event.

“They could have easily set up one of those party jumpers and a bunch of balloons,” Jones said. “They didn’t though, and I’m glad they chose an event that’s appropriate to the age group. I hope that it makes a return.”

One of the event’s other attractions was the magician who was hired through Real Magic. John Lopez, who has practiced magic since he was 6 years old, roamed around the event – performing card tricks and dazzling the party goers.

“I’ve done events for the football team and clubs at Sac State before,” Lopez said. “It’s always fun performing for college students, and it’s an especially good crowd today.”

Management was offering tours of the loft-style dormitories throughout the evening, signing leases for fall and renewing the leases of current residents.

“I’m definitely satisfied with the turnout,” Hyche said. “We brought in around 200 students. A great deal of them were current residents, but we also had some tours and signed leases from non-residents.”