Monmouth University’s Winter Ball, co-hosted by the Student Activities Board (SAB) and Resident Hall Association (RHA), is set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Maria Vasquez Garcia, Area Coordinator for Residential Life, described the nature of the event, “This is a huge staple at Monmouth University, annually hosted by RHA and campus parties. This is a great night to dress up with your favorite people and enjoy a festive night at the most prominent building on Monmouth’s campus. The Great Hall is a gorgeous venue to host this event and this night always brings a new feeling to campus, a feeling of celebration and community. Besides having the best time dancing and enjoying good food, we will have caricature artists so students can take a memory home with them and be enchanted forever.”
Garcia added how excited she was to attend the event with her long-distance friend. “My best friend is coming from Colorado to visit, and she’s going to be my date. I can’t wait to dress us up… I love themed events! All in all, this is a night you don’t want to miss.”
Grace Frederick, a junior work social work student and RHA President, emphasized, “People should attend the winter ball if they are looking for a night with their friends that they will remember.”
Frederick highlighted some of the event’s main attractions, things students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic may have missed out on in years passed.
“There will be a DJ, photo booth, and a special artistic surprise for those who are interested. Winter ball is a night that everyone will remember. Especially since a lot of students did not get the chance to go to their high school proms because of COVID,” explained Frederick.
Daniel Esposito, a senior history student, agreed, “People should attend the ball to have a good time. I think a lot of people like dressing up and going to functions like this, and there aren’t many like it on campus. It’s relatively cheap to get in and it’s in the Great Hall, which is an absolutely beautiful building and wonderful space for it.”
Frederick said that she anticipates a big turnout this year, as last year they projected to have 200 guests and quickly sold out. They expect 350 guests this year, and she does not want a repeat of last year where people got upset because they could not attend.
“I think this year will have a better turnout than last year, we really took the time to look at what went well and what didn’t go so well and make both better. We optimized the things that we felt we did well and overhauled what we felt didn’t. I think the combined efforts of both RHA and SAB are making this Winter Ball one to remember,” underscored Esposito.
The theme for this year’s winter ball is “The Royal Ball” focusing on the theme of ‘Cinderella.’ The winter ball will only take place on the first floor of the Great Hall, with silhouettes of ‘Cinderella’ characters decorated around the Great Hall.
Esposito concluded, “We have a lot of meetings; I know SAB and members of RHA reach out to vendors very often. We talk a lot about financials and how to effectively use money. A walk-through of the Great Hall happened last week on Friday to better get a feel of how we plan on laying out the Great Hall, and as we get closer to the actual date, we will start decorating. Once you’re at the Winter Ball, it feels like you’ve left Monmouth University for a couple of hours, all the stresses of school and life waft away for a few hours and you just have a great time.”
