Campus Program Boards brings back the fall dance after replacing last years with a carnival
(Photo courtesy of fromthebarn.org)
By Kate Stringer, Staff Writer stringer14@up.edu
Get ready for an explosion of color.
After a year in retirement, Campus Program Board's fall dance is back, except this time it has a new name. The Fall Dance: Explosion of Color will replace what used to be the homecoming dance.
After meeting with students and administrators, CPB decided to change the name because the dance did not reflect a traditional homecoming which is when alumni at UP return for a weekend in the summer, not a dance for current students in the fall.
The dance will take place Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Melody Ballroom from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Buses will be available to transport students to the dance, but students may also make their own transportation arrangements.
While attire isn't strictly formal like previous dances, CPB notes on its Facebook page that "The theme of this dance promotes a creative use of as much color as one wishes! If an individual would like to dress formally or informally that is up to them!"
Tickets are $10 and will be available starting Sept. 24 in the Office of Student Activities and The Commons.
Free tickets were given to to students who attended the alcohol education event Sept. 19 in the Chiles Center. The talk was meant to educate students about the safe use of alcohol.
After binge drinking at the 2011 Dance of the Decades resulted in three student hospitalizations, last year's fall dance was canceled. Instead, CPB hosted a fall carnival. CPB Director Sean Ducey reflects that while the carnival was fun, attendance numbers showed that the dance was more popular.
"The year before, we had a homecoming dance with 1100 students - the carnival we had 490 students. So looking at school numbers you can see that students like to dance," Ducey said. "We're trying to appeal to the student population on campus by bringing back the dance."
Jillian Smith, assistant director for student clubs, notes that the success of last February's Dance of the Decades also contributed to bringing back a fall dance.
"Everything went really well at Dance of the Decades last year," Smith said. "It was decided that it was okay to have a second dance this year."
Smith encourages responsibility for personal safety when it comes to alcohol.
"[We] want to make sure students are safe and that we're not putting on events that would enable or suggest drinking behavior that would cause someone to be harmed," Smith said. "[We're] making sure that things are safe to help students have a fun, safe night because dances are fun, everybody loves them."
Sophomore Victoria Wellock said she thinks students understand the consequences if they drink at the dance.
"People know that if they drink, the dance will be cancelled," Wellock said.
Ducey agrees that student responsibility has improved from past dances.
"They showed us last year that we can put the trust in them to have a fun dance," Ducey said. "Let's do it again."
While students are excited for the dance, some upperclassmen miss the formal dress associated with the past homecoming dances.
"In terms of attire, I think the Fall Dance is very similar to what Dance of the Decades represents," junior Katrina Welborn said. "Dressing up for homecoming makes it feel more special and separates the two [dances]." CPB has been planning the dance for several months and is excited to see students' reactions to the final product.
"We had some really cool, fun ideas on the vision of this dance - like a rainbow just exploding the venue," Ducey said. "I'm excited to see what students will wear, how students will reflect [the theme], and how students will participate in this dance."
