On Saturday night, 800 students trudged across campus braving the blustery weather and donning formal wear covered by heavy jackets. A parent attending the hockey game might have wondered what had gotten into these crazy college kids, but students know that it is all in the name of the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) Ball. Though the weather was uncooperative, reminiscent of last year, students know the ALC Ball is not an event to miss - rain, shine, or snow.
Every year the ball brings together around 800 students. "We want to create a safe, comfortable space for all students," said Erin Dea, executive director of programming in ALC and A&S '08.
ALC sponsors, among many smaller events, three big events each year: the boat cruise, showdown, and ball. They usually take place in that order, but things were switched around a bit this year. The showdown had to be moved to April 10, meaning it would have come very soon after the ball, which is typically scheduled in mid to late March. To space out the events, Dea decided to move the ball to February. The change of date raised concerns about the weather. Earlier in the day on Saturday, there was talk of suspending the ball. A further scheduling conflict arose because there was also a hockey game on Saturday, the same night as the ball. Buses transporting students to the ball generally load at Conte Forum, but because of the game, boarding would have to take place elsewhere. Despite the complaints by students living on Lower, the bus loading was moved to McElroy.
In addition, Dea said that because "alcohol-related problems are increasing an issue," they had to take further precautions to ensure that things ran smoothly. "We are following the Senior Week protocol, so bags are subject to search this year and breathalyzers are available, although hopefully we won't have to use them," Dea said prior to the event. Per University policy, there was no alcohol at the ball because it was held off campus.
Dea also said that the code of conduct contract that students in attendance must sign before purchasing their tickets was also revised. An extra segment was added stating that students will be responsible for all financial damage they cause. Each year, the ALC has to foot an outrageous bill to cover damages such as broken windows, broken candlesticks, and carpet cleaning. Dea decided that the ALC should not have to pay for these damages and that it was necessary to hold students accountable.
The damages are particularly costly because the event traditionally takes place at the Fairmont Copley Hotel. Dea said that ALC has established a relationship with the hotel management and that, despite incurred damages each year, BC is always welcomed back for the ALC Ball. "It gets harder and harder though because we run into more problems every year," Dea said.
Ticket sales for the ball are also a chaotic ordeal every year. Dea said that in the past she has received complaints from juniors and seniors who were unable to get tickets. This year, the first day of ticket sales was reserved for juniors and seniors only. "We wanted to target the complaints about not getting tickets, and freshmen do have three more years to come," Dea said.
Considering tickets for the ball consistently sell out, they are hard to come by without some sacrifices. Dea said that when she walked into Robsham Theater on the morning of the last day of ticket sales, there were students sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags. "[The students] said they had come at 4:30 a.m. to be the first in line, and the doors were closed. But they came back as soon as [the doors] opened," Dea said.
The overall consensus was that the event was a remarkable success. Students commented about the delicious food, gawked at the elaborate dessert fondue table, and danced the night away in the elaborate ballroom. "It was a very nice place, and the event as a whole was well put together," said Justin Byrne, CSOM '08.
Dea and her planning committee of ten, including the assistant director of programming, were pleased with the result of their hard work.
"Although we had a few minor incidents, overall the event at the hotel went very smoothly, and we actually didn't have as many problems as in the past. People looked beautiful, the food was great, the music was good, and everyone seemed to be having a great time so overall I'd say the event was a huge success," Dea said.
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