On February 18 at 6pm Student Government plans to throw their annual dance, titled “Unmask the Night.”
For $30, students and a guest of their choosing can attend the dance at the Grecian Center in Southgate. The student government has been planning this event, alongside many others, over the last few months.
“I hope to really engage campus, to get people to come on by and have fun with their fellow classmates,” said Grayson Bacarella, the president of Student Government.
Bacarella said that the event is not meant to be seen as a romantic dance, but rather a school dance for everyone and anyone who wishes to participate.
“It is not a Valentine’s Day dance. You can bring a date, or you don’t have to bring a date. I personally won’t be bringing a date myself,” he said.
By everyone, he means everyone. MCCC students, alumni, and guests of the MCCC students are all allowed to attend, he said.
Although there isn’t a strict dress code, the event is somewhat formal, so dressing a bit better than casual clothing is recommended, Bacarella said.
“It’s definitely got some air of formality about it, but it’s not too serious. We’re all there to have fun,” he said.
“It’s definitely something to dress up for, but it’s not a formal formal dance. Don’t feel that pressure.”
Though the theme of the dance is the masquerade, those who might not have a mask laying around will still be able to participate in the fun.
“You know it’s the masquerade ball so if you have a mask, bring it,” Bacarella said. “We’ll be handing out masks as well.”
The colors of the dance are red and gold against a black and dark blue contrast, he said.
The ticket includes a dinner courtesy of the Grecian Center, which has a large buffet including vegetarian options, he said.
Some of the other features of the dance will be a DJ and potentially a photo booth according to Tom Ryder, MCCC’s student activity director. He said that he sees it as just another fun addition for the students.
“Every time that a group has had a photobooth there’s a line,” Ryder said.
For those planning on attending the best time to buy tickets is before the last week of sales, according to Molly Siedlecki, a member of student government and a member of the planning committee.
She said that a week before the event they have to contact the Grecian Centre on the minimum number of tickets sold, that is the minimum number of people attending.
After giving the minimum number, Student Government will limit the amount of tickets available, so waiting until the last minute may result in an inability to purchase any.
“If you’re planning on waiting until the last week of ticket sales to buy your tickets, I beg you please don’t do that,” Siedlecki said.
It was a lack of interest and sales that led to the cancelation of last year’s “Midsummer’s Night Dream” dance. A lack of sales driven by some conflicts with over events, Bacarella said.
“It had fallen on the same date, well not the same date, as the GSA and the Middle College prom. So we didn’t end up getting the ticket sales we needed,” he said.
To prevent this from happening again, this time around the Student Government is preparing ahead of schedule.
“We are far more on-task this year,” he said. “We’ve made sure to schedule it so stuff like that isn’t a problem.”
Based on the current ticket sales things are going according to schedule, Bacarella said.
“This year we’re more optimistic about that,” he said.
Some of the things they have planned to help sales include setting up tables in the dining room on January 30 and 31, in addition to February 1 and 2, said Ryder.
The following week there are plans of possibly having DJ Manny play music in cafeteria for students to enjoy, along with the opportunity to sell tickets.
“We have the opportunity to send someone up there and say ‘hey, hope you’re having a good time on behalf of the student government, and by the way if you like this event we’re hosting another event,’” Siedlecki said during the Student Government meeting.
The tentative date for this is February 7.
During Student Government’s meeting they discussed some other future events that aren’t related to the dance, and recapped some of the recent events they had just finished.
Such as the recent blood drive. They were able to receive 49 units of blood out of a projected 50 units, enough to still call it a victory, Ryder said.
Another event being considered is a potential concert with the musician Bubba Wilson for Black History Month. At the moment, this is only in the planning stages with the price still under negotiation, but the majority of Student Government was in favor of bringing Wilson to the college.
In the far future the Student Government also has some plans for Family Fun Night, an Earth Day event, Honors Night, and “Kojo’s Pingpong Beatdown Part 2: The Rebound.”
Though Student Government is currently focused on the school dance, they plan to have small events to promote the event here and there, Bacarella said. Though what exactly he wouldn’t say.
“The stuff we do have… I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” he said.
