Trajuan Hendersona, a club promoter, encouraged students he thinks are interested to pay $20 to $40 to enter nightclubs in Fresno which can add up to hundreds of dollars per semester.

Students spending large amounts of money on entertainment during a recession is not uncommon.

“Let’s face it, college campuses are filled with young and attractive people,” Henderson said. “Through my interactions with students, [I have found] a lot of them come to school just so they can party.”

Henderson is a club promoter for many clubs in Fresno and Clovis who frequent the campus on a weekly basis. Each time he visits campus he carries a handful of fliers.

Henderson estimates that of the 200 fliers he passes out each week, more than half who receive an invite show up to the event.

While some students are shying away from spending large sums of money on entertainment, others prioritize it.

Matthew Jendian, the chair of the sociology department at Fresno State, believes that economic strife may be the cause for student spending on entertainment.

“Today, many people attempt to escape the pressures of the current recession and unemployment and turn to the likes of entertainment as a means of relief from the hardships and realities of an unrelenting economic hardship being felt,” Jendian said.

For Fresno State student Briana Waggoner, entertainment is a form of escapism. She is able to throw her cares away and relax when she’s having fun.

Waggoner, who is unemployed, always manages to go to at least six parties each semester. For her a $20 party admission fee is no big deal.

“I honestly know I can’t afford to go but I do it anyway because it makes me feel good,” Waggoner said. “If I don’t go to a party I feel like I’m missing my chance to have fun and I think I owe it to myself to go out and have a good time no matter what the cost is.”

Last semester, Waggoner spent almost $250 on parties off campus and doesn’t see herself stopping any time soon.

“Being able to hang out with friends at a club and partying all night makes me happy. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to spend money on things that make them happy,” Waggoner added.

Jendian believes that behavior like Wagonner’s helps tighten the hold entertainment has on our society.

“The public is oppressed by its addiction to amusement. The result is that we are people on the verge of amusing ourselves to death,” Jendian added.

While Waggoner and other students love being handed party fliers on campus, some students think­ is a nuisance.

For sophomore Rebecca Gordo, each time a party flyer passes through her hands, she is easily irritated.

“I feel like the people who are passing them out are preying on college students,” Gordo said. “They make it seem like they really want you at their party or club and you actually believe them until you see the price tag to get in. I really don’t see the point in it.”

During her freshmen year, Gordo frequently attended parties. She realized she spent $150 on parties in two months and consequently was not able to afford school supplies.

“It was a wakeup call to me. I had to learn how to prioritize,” Gordo said. “You really have to ask yourself in the end ‘is a few hours of fun more important than groceries or paying bills?’ The answer for me was no.”

Henderson does not mind opinions like Gordo’s.

“My job is simple: to promote the club or any party they are throwing I pass out as many fliers to as many people as I can,” Henderson said. “I’m just here to show the kids a good time. Spending money is nothing when you’re having fun,” Henderson said.

The task of passing out fliers isn’t as simple as it looks. According to Henderson, there’s a science to it.

“I can’t just pass out an invite to just anyone. There’s a specific person I’m looking for each time I pass one out,” Henderson said. “We want sexy, young people at the club so those are the people that I’m looking for.”

For Henderson and other club promoters, college students are a prime example of the people they want filling the dance floor. Because of this, they have developed different techniques to encourage students to attend their events.

“It’s all about making the person feel wanted. If you make them think that you really want them to be there, they’ll show up and maybe even bring a couple of friends too,” Henderson said.