Homecoming Dance

Overall, the Homecoming Dance was amazing! The decorations were stellar (not just because there were stars hanging on the walls)! Everyone seemed to have a great time! I'm really pleased with how smoothly everything went, especially compared to last year. Here are a couple of highlights from the night:

NUMBERS: Exactly how many people were there?! Yes, 1097 students were in attendance at CPB's Homecoming Dance 2009. Ninety-three of those students were guests. At the Alcohol Speaker, 687 free tickets were given away. Throughout the week, 208 tickets were sold at Student Activities and during dinner time in the Commons. At the door, 202 tickets were sold. We had to turn students away because we were not allowing students to enter the venue without a ticket, which was unfortunate for those who came all the way to venue and were turned around before even going through the doors. Nevertheless, this marks the highest attended dance in school history! :)

DECORATIONS: Nothing changes the ambiance of the place like a little pizzazz! On Saturday morning before the dance, we added a little something here and a little something there to change the Melody Ballroom from plain and a bit boring to exciting and very UP spirited:

It took a couple hours to get everything in place, but this was probably our coolest set up for a dance, especially with the stars on the wall, the streams coming down from the ceiling, and of course, the balloon arch over the stairs. I mean we still had some problems with check-in (who knew that most of the student body's last names fall under A-M?), but even so, it was good to elongate the lines since they were congested by the entrance doors last year.

BOUNCERS: This year CPB hired the Guam Club to help out with the Homecoming check-in process. Our original intention was to have them help with registration, but due to the short period of time between training and the dance, we decided to have them keep students out of the street and in line. They were also in charge of letting a certain amount of students in at a time to help alleviate long lines at the entrance of the venue. Essentially they were bouncers, and controlling that many students is difficult. However, they managed and did a fantastic job! Thank you Guam Club! :)

HEY BUDDY: Intoxicated students are fun, sometimes. I stood at the top of the stairs, monitoring check-in. There were several instances when students would come up to me and act like we were best buddies. I'm withholding names, but I'll describe it.

One student in my Theology class came up to me and asked me what I was doing there. I told him I was a coordinator of the event. Then he proceeded to ask if my name was "Alyssa," which is totally off. I told him that we're in the same Theology class, but I don't think he processed that. I asked if he needed anything, and he was just like, "Naw, I just wanted to say, 'Hi.'" Right.

One student whom I studied abroad with came up to me and greeted me like we were best friends! HUGS! haha We never say anything to each other when we're on campus.

One student kept hanging out in the check-in area and had the audacity to ask me where the bar is, even though I saw him go down there multiple times. I was a bit confused but directed him in the right direction.

Several students would get in line but be in the wrong line. Maybe they just didn't see the signs?

DOWN TO THE BAR: I needed to go down to the bar to see if they had a Sharpie down there in order to change the signs in the registration area, but I ran into a little trouble just getting down there. They stopped and asked me for my ID, which is good because that means they were doing their job. I quickly said, "I'm a coordinator, and I need a Sharpie to change the signs! I don't have my ID with me." Luckily, they let me through, but some students behind me were like, "She's lying. She's not 21." Nice try, guys, but I am 21 and really just need a marker.

It was funny when I got down there though because I started talking to this girl at the bar, and she was telling me how outrageous the prices were. Then I asked the bartender for a marker, and he went looking for one. I left the bar, and the girl asked me what I got. She proceeded to ask me other questions about me. I thought it was pretty funny because I've never talked to her before. Oh how alcohol instantly makes everyone friends!

FINDING ASUP/CPB: For some reason, members of ASUP or CPB are the first people I look for to take pictures with when I'm at a dance. I guess I just really like my job and the people who are affiliated with it. I'm so grateful to have amazing peers who are involved in these two organizations. I'm also glad they came to the dance and had an awesome time! :)

STANKY LEG & THIZZ FACE?!: Really? Those songs played back to back? I was so disappointed with the DJ! I mean seriously? Those two songs were not even mentioned on our playlist, which seemed to be thrown to the side. I hope the rest of the music was good though, especially since I wasn't on the dance floor for very long.

JUST DANCE: Sam and I danced all over the place. It was so fun! Our moves are a little crazy at times, but acting silly while dancing is the best!

END OF THE DANCE: A large majority of people were still at the dance after the last song played, which led to a mad rush to the buses. The whole entrance area was packed with students. Those were the lucky ones because outside, it started raining, and there aren't many overhangs to keep the raindrops from falling. While the students were waiting for buses, CPB members cleaned up the decorations and our supplies. Before popping the balloon arch with Sean, the Homecoming coordinators and I played with it and took pictures. Then Sean and I took on the challenge of popping all those balloons. The Melody Ballroom staff said I had issues because I popped the balloons with my bare hands. I also had to get the sold out signs off from the doors, so I opened the door to go get it outside, only to find out that it was taped to the inside of the door. The people on the outside just smiled at me. Eventually all the students made it on the buses, and there were the four Californians left - Sean, Emmanuel, Jillian, and me. We hopped into Jillian's car with all of the Homecoming supplies and headed back to campus.

It was a success! I'd like to thank everyone who was involved, especially Megan and Carolyn, because they did a stellar job with the planning, organizing and hosting of the event as well as all the events leading up to the dance. Thank you!