Lindsey Wilson University Midnight Breakfast Gives Students a Break from Finals

Semiannual event builds campus community over late-night breakfast food and card games.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (12/10/2025) — It's usually silent on most December nights in the Lindsey Wilson University Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

But at 9:52 p.m CT on Tuesday, Dec. 9, more than 50 Lindsey Wilson undergraduates were stirring as they lined up outside the building's entrances. They had taken a break from studying for finals, polishing papers and preparing final presentations to enjoy one of the university's more beloved semiannual events -- Midnight Breakfast.

Sponsored by the Office of Residence Life and held on the Tuesday of fall and spring finals weeks, the two-hour event that runs from 10 p.m. to midnight is an excuse for scores of Lindsey Wilson undergraduates to take a break from studying, refuel with breakfast food served by residence life staff members and enjoy fellowship with classmates. And sometimes play a few card games. This fall's Midnight Breakfast served 482 students.

"It's actually one of my favorite things we do. It's between that and Safe Halloween," said Madison Duvall '24, who is resident director of Phillips Hall and has experienced the event as an LWU student and as a staff member. "I love seeing the kids relax during finals, and I love giving back to students by serving them."

'Midnight Breakfast Raiders'

Among the first students to enter the Cranmer Dining & Conference Center this year was the so-called "Midnight Breakfast Raiders" -- a half-dozen students who make it a point of being at the building's doors when they are thrown open at 10 p.m. CT.

That included Peyton Huskey '25 of Knoxville, Tennessee, was in his usual place waiting for the doors to be opened by LWU residence life staff.

"It's just fun. You see all of your friends," said Huskey, who celebrated his ninth and final Midnight Breakfast, as he will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Huskey was joined at this year's Midnight Breakfast by friends and fellow "Midnight Breakfast Raiders" Chase Fraire '27 of Louisville, Kentucky; Connor Fromme '26 of Louisville; Tyler Mosby '27 of Louisville; Aaron Shain '27 of Scottsville, Kentucky; and Eli Thompson '26 of Pineville, Kentucky.

While the Midnight Breakfast is more than 25 years old, this year it coincided with a new finals week event -- "Night of Procrastination" at the Katie A. Murrell Library, which kept the Holloway Building open until midnight on Dec. 9 to help students prepare for finals.

Members of the "Midnight Breakfast Raiders" reported that they had anywhere from zero to four finals remaining, but they said that taking a break was worth it because some of their favorite breakfast items are served at Midnight Breakfast -- pancakes, tater tots, waffles and bacon.

'A tradition like none other'

As part of the evening's relaxed atmosphere, students are not required to present their LWU ID to enter Cranmer Dining & Conference Center, but they were required this year to give a fist bump to Dean of Students Chris Schmidt and Assistant Dean of Students Abe Cross, both of whom greeted students at the front desk.

"Midnight Breakfast is a tradition like none other," said Cross, who reckons that he has helped at the event since 2009. "It's one of my favorite nights of the year because the students are carefree and happy to be here. It's so much fun to see them here."

The dress is also quite relaxed and casual as some students enjoyed the food wearing pajamas and slippers.

Havana Hampl '29 of Greenville, Kentucky, was among several students who combined sleeping clothes with the Christmas season as she sported a one-piece flannel pajama featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a headband sprouting small Christmas trees.

"The food is kind of typical breakfast food, but I kind of like it," said Hampl, who enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and a donut at her first Midnight Breakfast. "I like the small activities the campus does for students."

Fellow freshman Dallas Sullivan of Louisville couldn't wait to attend his first Midnight Breakfast, as he started to talk about it at lunch with his friends.

"I had a couple of friends telling me about it," said Sullivan, who wore a necktie to his inaugural Midnight Breakfast. "I was really looking forward to it because I like breakfast food."

Sullivan said his meal of pancakes, strawberries, eggs with ketchup and tater tots should help prepare him for his final examination in "Christian Beliefs," which was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT Wednesday, Dec. 10, with religion professor Curt Lee.

Friendship and 'pancake art'

MaKenna Langley '26 of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, also attended her first Midnight Breakfast, after some persuasion from her friend Raylee Yadon '26 of Danville, Kentucky, who attended the event for her seventh time.

"It didn't take a lot of convincing me after she started talking to me about it," Langley said.

Fellow senior Morgan Wilson of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, said she usually only attends the fall semester Midnight Breakfast because that is when her academic stress level is at its highest.

"I feel like I don't need it as much in the spring," she said.

In addition to late-night breakfast food, the three seniors said they enjoy playing card games that usually conclude the evening in Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. This year, they planned to play the card game Coyote.

And Yadon kept a watchful eye for Sadie Kemp's popular Midnight Breakfast artistic creation.

Kemp, a senior from Columbia, has earned a reputation among classmates for creating what they call "pancake art." It started one year when Kemp fashioned several pancakes into Santa Claus and Rudolph. This year, Kemp created a trio of gingerbread men out of pancakes.

"I'm trying to be festive this year because it's Christmas," said Kemp, whose table of a dozen students planned to play a few rounds of the card game Spicy Uno before returning to their studies.

The night was extra festive for Hana Kisa '29 of Tampa, Florida, who is likely not to forget her first Midnight Breakfast. Kisa turned 18 years old on the date of this year's late-night meal, so her friends serenaded her in the dining area with a chorus of "Happy Birthday to You."

"I think it's good there are so many people here," said Kisa. "It was good to see so many of my friends here."

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