Well, this will be awkward.
Student Federation will host the first annual Hillsdale College Awkward Prom this Saturday, April 6 in the Curtis Dining Hall.
Music will be provided first by Khaki Strategy—a student band—and later by DJ Polo. Saga will cater appetizers, desserts, and soft drinks. A cash bar will offer draft beers and wine coolers.
Additionally, the party will host a photo booth, as well as various giveaways that will occur throughout the night.
According to Student Federation president David Wilhelmsen, the event is part of Student Fed’s recent effort to benefit the campus as a whole, in addition to the small groups to which it has traditionally given money. This effort was decided upon by the officers at the beginning of their term, which began this semester.
Treasurer Chelsea Goodale indicated an additional reason for the prom.
“The Student Federation is usually left with a surplus of money at the end of the semester,” she said. “It is our mentality that this leftover money really belongs to the student body and we would like to give it back in a way that benefits campus.”
With only a few weeks left before term paper deadlines and finals, Goodale said she hopes students will take advantage of the opportunity to unwind and have fun.
“We chose the theme “Awkward Prom” because we want this event to be fun,” said Goodale. “It is going to be right after break and right before what can be arguably the most stressful part of the semester.
According to secretary Mackenzie Price, members of Student Fed enjoyed reminiscing about their proms – or lack thereof.
“A lot of people have this idea that prom is a quintessential part of growing up,” Goodale said, “but because we have such a strong portion of students that were home schooled, many didn’t have the opportunity or elected not to go to a Prom.”
Price said most of the members of the “prom committee” had attended proms in high school, but that the proms were humorously diverse.
“We had everything from big public school proms to private and charter school proms,” Price said.
No one prom served as template for the Awkward Prom, but the prom experiences of all the Student Fed members were combined, which lent itself well to an awkward prom Price said.
“We want students to have a great time before they have to go into the stress of final preparation,” Goodale said. “We want seniors to end this semester right.”
