Founder’s Day Ball 2019

By Rachel Stevens

Catholic University’s annual Founder’s Day Ball, celebrating the University’s beginnings, was held in Heritage Hall this year, instead of its usual location of the Mullen Library parking lot. Due to threats of thunderstorms, Program Board made a decision for student safety. The location change on the day of the dance did not stop the evening of food, dancing, and taking pictures.

Hannah Cundey and Elizabeth Huggard headed the Founder’s Day Ball event this year. The theme was “Lights. Camera. Memories,” which has been in planning since December of 2018.

“We really wanted to capture the night and memories in as many ways as possible, as well as create an elegant feel for the evening,” said Cundey. “We loved the idea of incorporating the red carpet look with Polaroid pictures, so the theme ‘Lights, Camera, Memories’ was developed!”

Walking into Heritage Hall, students were greeted at check-in and were able to  walk the red carpet upon entering the dance. There were multiple tables, and a sizeable dance floor complete with a DJ. Towards the back of the room was an array of food in a buffet. From a variety of fruit, to mini grilled cheeses, there were snacks that students appeared to enjoy. For attendees that were over 21, a cash bar was available with signature drinks. In addition, there was a dessert table with a student favorite, Georgetown Cupcakes.

During the dance, the announcement was made as to who would be headlining this year’s well anticipated end of the year party, “Cardinalpalooza.” The headliner will be Juice. Juice is a Boston based band comprised of seven different men. They blend rock, r&b, and hip hop to create a distinct sound, according to the band’s website. Juice pouches were then handed out by members of campus ministry on the dance floor.

The attendance was as expected by Program Board. Around 500 students attended the dance. Program Board worried that the location change due to rain would have deterred students from coming, but this was not the case. The dance floor was to full capacity during the middle of the dance.

The hardest part to those involved in planning the event was working around the construction.

“The most difficult part was working with facilities and other contacts on campus in trying to see if Mullen Parking lot was even going to be available for the dance with its on going construction early in the semester,” said Cundey.

The construction near Mullen Library has proven to be not only a problem for traffic flow and walking patterns, but is hindering the planning of large-scale events such as Founder’s Day Ball.

Many members of Program Board walked around with Polaroid cameras, taking photos of friends dancing and handing them the photo to fit the theme of the dance.

“My first Founder’s Day Ball was a blast! It was great seeing so many people there since usually big events on campus seem to be almost entirely freshmen.” said Gia Carusone, a freshman psychology and brain sciences major. “Every song the DJ played was so good, my friends and I had an awesome time dancing and screaming the lyrics. Definitely will go again next year!”

Founder’s Day Ball is only one event that occurred surrounding the celebration of Catholic University’s founder’s day. There were many donation challenges and small events surrounding the celebration of Catholic University’s founding in 1887. On the actually day of Catholic University’s founding, April 10, students were given a free 2019 founder’s day t-shirt in the Pryzbyla center if they posted a photo to social media with “#cufoundersday” of one of the many signs with fun facts about Catholic University’s founding, found spread throughout campus.