Less than a week after it was discovered that University Union Cinemas had wasted an estimated $9,000 in student fees, the organization will hold free movie screenings starting Wednesday night.

UU Cinemas will show ‘Eight Crazy Nights,’ ‘Garden State,’ ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’ and ‘Dick Tracy’ through Sunday afternoon.

Clarence Cross III, the new chairman of UU Cinemas, said he decided to waive admission for the movies as a way to show their regret for not only the financial debacle, but also for not showing movies throughout much of the semester.

‘We’re very sorry about what happened with the past situation,’ Cross said.

Along with a formal letter to the student body, UU president Dennis Jacobs said the free screenings could be viewed as a form of apology to the student body from UU Cinemas.

‘We feel that since we haven’t shown many movies (this semester), the students deserve free movies,’ Jacobs said.

There will also be free giveaways at the screenings, including movie posters and lanyards, Jacobs said.

By January, both Jacobs and Cross said UU Cinemas will be showing movies again at normal capacity. Over the past few weeks, Cross has undergone training by former UU Cinemas coordinators.

‘They’ve given me good advice how to manage my time,’ Cross said.

Next semester, Cross plans on collaborating with other student organizations to show a diverse showcase of movies. He started working with the Residence Hall Association to show a documentary on Martin Luther King Jr. in January. UU Cinemas also has plans in the works to show at least one advanced screening of a movie per month.

Cross said he has already received more than 15 responses from students interested in working for UU Cinemas since The Daily Orange printed its article last Friday.

‘The board is growing as we speak,’ Cross said.

Show times:

‘Eight Crazy Nights’ 8 p.m. Wednesday Watson Hall Theater

‘Garden State’ 8 p.m., Thursday; 3 p.m., Sunday Watson Hall Theater

‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’ 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. Friday Gifford Auditorium

‘Dick Tracy’ Midnight Friday Gifford Auditorium

Published on December 7, 2004 at 12:00 pm