Senior Ball changes venue

By Dana Nialis and Mary Georgevich

Administrators and students have introduced a newer, more expensive format for the annual Senior Ball event, resulting in lower projected attendance than in years past.

The format had to be changed from a hotel dinner and dance in Monterey, Calif., to a dinner and dance on a boat in San Francisco.

For some students, the new format is disappointing.

"This isn't our high school graduation -- I have no interest in being herded on to a bus, then a boat and then a bus again," said senior Kelsey Maher.

The night will cost $125, plus the cost of alcohol for those who purchase wine or beer.

Senior Madeline Conner was deterred by the price of the event.

"It is extremely expensive, and since I am graduating in this not-so-great economy, I would rather save my $125 for something more necessary," she said.

Senior class chair Mandi Collins said the event may seem more expensive this year, but the format is more all-inclusive than in previous years. She said many students would stay the night in Monterey, some paying up to $250 for a hotel room.

She explained that the administration placed restrictions on what the event could entail, the most important of which was no hotel.

"Anything that's not a hotel means your costs immediately go up," Collins explained, citing hotel resources that allow them to keep costs down.

Also, because staying at a hotel is not an option, students will need buses to return to campus, which add to the cost of the event.

"We're doing everything we can to make it worth the $125," Collins said.

Some students find the event's structure -- and the fact that it will be confined to a boat -- to be a bit stifling.

"I agree with communal celebration, class bonding, tradition and all that jazz but I do not find it appropriate to be babysat on a boat in celebration of my professional and social achievements as an adult," said senior Christinah Barnett.

The new format is aimed at preventing many issues that caused the administration to question if the Senior Ball tradition should continue.

Student conduct was a major issue in years past, as students did a great deal of damage to hotel property, leaving the school to compensate the hotel for the damage.

To try to eliminate these issues, many of which stemmed from students spending the night at the hotel, seniors will be required to return to campus on a bus after the dance.

Collins said the boat will have three dance floors on it, with a separate DJ for each floor. She plans to ask students what type of music they would like to hear in order to accommodate as many people as possible.

After tickets had been on sale for a little more than a week, approximately 250 tickets have been sold for this year's event, while around 750 tickets were sold for Senior Ball last year. Collins said they'd like to sell about 600 tickets.

Maher is unhappy about the lack of information given to students about Senior Ball.

"I didn't appreciate the sense of secrecy around the event. I understand that issues have arisen in previous years that make it in the university's interest to keep the details of the event under wraps so students don't find a way to break the rules, but that pretty much takes the fun out of it," she said.

Maher said if the format of this year's Senior Ball were the same as last year's, she would attend.

"I definitely would have attended Senior Ball had the format remained the same as previous years," she said. "Since this year's ball was so up in the air, it was harder to get excited or plan for it -- all of a sudden I had to bring $125 to Benson to buy a ticket for an event I knew no details about."

Connor would also have been more likely to attend had Senior Ball's format remained unchanged.

"I most likely would have attended if it were the same as previous years, especially because I think more of my friends would be excited about going."

Collins hopes that despite the changes made to the event, Senior Ball will be a success and the students in attendance will act appropriately.

She said it was a tough battle to convince administrators to allow the tradition to continue. Administrators warned her that if attendance and behavior do not prove respectable this year, future Senior Balls could be in jeopardy, said Collins.

"It's easy to be like 'I don't care about future balls,'" Collins said. "I really challenge the senior class to rise above that," she said.

Buses will leave Santa Clara around 7 p.m., Collins said, but she hopes to plan some sort of pre-boarding reception.

Students will board the boat starting at 8 p.m., and the boat will depart by 9 p.m., at which time dinner will be served.

This will give students four hours on the boat to eat, drink and bond with their fellow classmates, with the event culminating around 1 a.m., at which time students will be bused back to the university.

Contact Dana Nialis and Mary Georgevich at (408) 554-4546.