The Lawrence International Fall Formal provided an opportunity for students to connect through a festive night off campus on Oct. 12. With more than 200 attendees, this year’s Fall Formal took place at the Liberty Hall Banquet and Conference Center in Kimberly and included dancing, snacks, a bar and photography booth.
Members of the LI board voted on the theme, “A Night in Venice.” Past themes have included “Casino Royale,” “Spring Fever” and “Black and White.” The Fall Formal, in particular, attracted more freshmen while the Spring Formal, which is later in the year, often attracts more seniors.
Transportation to the event was free and circulated from campus to Liberty Hall every half hour. The ticket money raised through this event went to fund for future LI events, including formals.
President of LI and junior Vicky Jhong Chung, believed that LI events and formals are a great opportunities for all students to connect with each other. Chung explained that while sororities and fraternities also have formals, they are primarily open to members of Greek life.
“I think that the type of events we do help our domestic and international students become closer and learn about culture, and at the same time socialize and have fun,” said Chung. “We also give the opportunity to every single person to have a formal off campus.”
The DJ at the formal played requests, new hit songs and familiar tunes like “The Cha-Cha Slide” and “I Like to Move It.” At this year’s Fall Formal, junior Will Melnick took photos in front of a nautical backdrop for students. These photos were posted on the event’s Facebook page.
Lawrence International are hoping to host events in the near future, such as the Ethnic Dinner on Oct. 27, where international students will send in recipes to Bon Appétit, and various Winter Break and Spring Break trips. The Ethnic Dinner and trips are open to everyones, although LI members will be given priority. In previous years, LI has organized trips to Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Freshman Annie Penner said she is looking forward to attending more events like the formal. “I didn’t really go to most of the fall events besides the Fall Formal. I thought that what I went to was great… [and] really festive. It was a really great experience to get all dressed up and that’s most of the fun of it too,” said Penner.