Josh Falcone – General Assignment Reporter –
Southern students wearing party hats, waving neon glow sticks, blowing noisemakers, and laughing with friends and classmates. Catching up after a month apart, students were able to relax last Thursday as Southern’s Program Council held their Welcome Back Dance for Southern students. The dance was held in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center ballroom and foyer from 9 p.m. till 1 a.m. The theme for the event was A New Year, A New You. Program Council Senior Programmer, Nicholas Gleifert, said that Program Council wanted to welcome back the Southern student body with a memorable, exciting, and fun celebration in addition to making them aware of what the Program Council does.
“We do a dance every semester,” Gleifert said, “to bring the campus together and let the students know what ProCon is all about.”
The theme of this semester’s Welcome Back party was “New Year, New You” and ProCon offered attendees various New Year novelties.
Program Council members had dance attendees supply them with their email addresses so the students could be notified of future Program Council events.
In the foyer outside the ballroom, Program Council had tables offering students in attendance free party favors. The Happy New Year hats, crowns, noisemakers, and the ever popular glow sticks were spread out over tables. Freshman Program Council member, Jasper Larioza, was manning one of the novelties tables. Larioza said the night was a little bit different then the Program Council dance he was involved in last semester.
“Last semester we held the dance in the parking lot,” Larioza said. “It was a really good time hanging lot outside like a picnic and this is as equally nice being inside, dancing in the ballroom.”
The Michael J. Adanti Center ballroom was where Program Council put the “dance” in the Welcome Back Dance. There was a DJ on the dance floor providing the soundtrack for the evening and students got to show what moves they had. Program Council also served a full spread of hors d’oeuvres and finger foods for Southern students in the Adanti ballroom. In addition to the copious amounts of food in the ballroom, Program Council members were also mixing “mocktails” for guest. All those in attendance could have their fill of either a concocted glorious grape or outrageous orange drink.
Gleifert said that Program Council wanted to give Southern students a Thursday night out in New Haven but closer to their residences and also free of charge. The ballroom was darkly lit with neon and glow in the dark décor all around, giving the ballroom a dance club vibe.
“We want to give them like the club scene but here on the Southern campus,” he said. “We have some food, the delicious mocktails, and some cool novelties. Everyone can have an awesome time without having to trek off campus or spend a dime.”
Larioza echoed that sentiment.
“Nobody has to pay for anything,” Larioza said, “and they get to hangout with their fellow classmates and have some fun as they prepare for the new semester.”
There was one final special experience planned for the end of the Welcome Back Dance that was unfortunately scratched, Gleifert said.
“There was going to be a balloon drop in the ballroom at the end of the night, sort of a grand finale,” he said. “But it did not get passed by the university so it was scrapped. It’s fine though, we’ll just party ‘til one.”
