By Erin Kelly
Northeastern’s third annual Snowball will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Boston Copley Marriott Hotel. Students and alumni attending should expect a three-course meal and a night of dancing, according to the Resident Student Association (RSA) website. The sold-out dance is sponsored by the RSA and funded by the Student Activities Fee. Tickets were sold for $25 each, and two tickets were available per Northeastern ID. The reception begins at 7 p.m., and the Grand Ballroom will open to students at 8 p.m.
The theme of the evening will be, appropriately, “winter night,” decorated with silver and dark blue decorations, said Cat Armato, RSA vice president for programming. She said there will be a different DJ and menu from last year, yet the majority of the formal will be similar to previous years.
“I attended two years ago and it was such a great time that I rounded up the troops, and now there are about 15 of my good friends going. It’s fun to dress up, eat and drink for a great price with all of my best friends. It’s like prom without all the hype,” said Kaitlyn Greene, a junior history major.
With 1,000 tickets sold this year, the formal will be the biggest yet, Armato said. This is a 200-ticket sale increase from last year, and a 500 ticket sale increase from 2006.
Tickets sold out faster than previous years, exceeding Armato’s expectations, she said.
“I didn’t expect it to sell out as early as it did. Last year we expected 1,000 tickets to be sold and only sold 800,” Armato said. The total amount of money allocated from the Budget Review Committee to funding Snowball this year is $83,880, a significant increase from last year’s $65,370, said Rob Ranley, SGA vice-president for Financial Affairs. In a written statement, Ranley stated, “The reason for the increase over last year is that per the old SAF policy, we did not fund the food requested last year. This year, our policies have been changed to allow for one food event per group per semester, so we allowed funding to be allocated for the food.”
The bulk of the money funding the Snowball is used to rent out the Marriot and provide food, which come to about $60 per person, Armato said.
The funds also pay for advertising and decorations, including the order of a larger dance floor to fit the 200 extra attendees, Armato said.
“I’m excited to go because it’ll be fun to get dressed up and dance,” said Katie Eberle, a freshman communication studies major.
Many students are happy to see the Student Activities Fee go to event designed to bring students together.
“I think it’s a good use because Northeastern doesn’t have a lot of school-wide events like that, so a few are good for school spirit,” said Sara Draper, a sophomore history major.
However, other students, like Theresa Donovan, a junior psychology and business administration major, can see why some students may not agree with Draper. “I understand if people think it’s pointless though, because it’s like a high school dance,” Donovan said. A cash bar will be available at the Marriot to all students 21 years and older. Wristbands will be provided to those 21 and older, and the RSA Snowball website states that those planning to drink must provide two valid forms of identification. Though Armato said it hasn’t been much of an issue in the past, there is not a significant way to prevent underage students from drinking alcohol during or before they enter the Marriot, but students planning to do so should be forewarned of security measures to combat such behavior. “We want everyone to know we have six security guards that will be there walking around to make sure kids aren’t drinking.
