Julie Conlon
Equinox Staff
While sophomores, juniors and even some freshmen claim to have caught “senioritis” this time of year, it’s the Keene State College seniors who share the last laugh. With only two months left in their KSC lives and a line of events and parties to help them go out with a bang, the seniors have a vent for their senioritis the rest of the student body can’t claim. The graduation kick-off began with last month’s 100 Nights and continued last Friday in the Zorn Dining Commons when the class of 2012 carried on the much anticipated tradition, Red and White Night.
Red and White Night, a dance held every year for seniors, featured sounds from On Deck Entertainment’s DJ Tomas Khronm “DJ TeeKay.” Guests munched on a cheese and cracker buffet at the Elm City Eatery station, and those over the age of 21 enjoyed a cash bar on the second floor of the D.C. that featured several wines and beer at $3.00 per cup. With all the lights off, tables pushed aside, lasers and scattered red and white balloons, the class of 2012 transformed the D.C. for their celebration.
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Senior class representative Dayna Coleman said her class debated whether or not to hold the event due to budget issues.
“We weren’t sure if we’d do Red and White Night for a while,” Coleman explained, “but we decided we wanted to restore the tradition.” Coleman added this year’s Red and White Night brought several new twists—including the cash bar on the second floor. Coleman said they chose to hold the event on a Friday night rather than a Thursday, the night 100 Nights occurred, so more students could attend.
Coleman commented, “We wanted to make sure that we did it at a time when hopefully the student teachers could attend–we wanted to make this event accessible to as many students as we could.”
Coleman and her crew’s work paid off; by 10 p.m. the D.C. filled with seniors and their guests, dressed in everything from old prom dresses to bow ties.
KSC senior Sarah Berry attended the dance with friend and co-senior Mary Schleckser. Schleckser commented on the venue and atmosphere and laughed when she said, “I’m kind of excited about them serving booze at the D.C.!”
Coleman explained in previous years’ the Mabel Brown Room in the L.P. Young Student Center hosted the Red and White Night, but this year, the room booked too quickly.
“The Mabel Brown Room always gets booked, so we chose the D.C. this year,” Colman explained. “We decided to keep it on campus. It will be interesting—it’s a huge space!”
Senior Brett Murray danced most of the night to DJ TeeKay with his friends. Murray commented, “I’m getting a cool, cool vibe here. I wish they would do it more often!”
Once students had enough cheese and crackers and had made it to the cash bar at least once, the dance floor in the center of the D.C. began to fill and the real party started.Senior Sarah Davies-Mitchell attended the dance this year for the first time with her boyfriend of seven years.
Davies-Mitchell said she was skeptical when she learned the dance was to be held in the D.C., but said she found the area more spacious than the Mabel Brown Room would have been. Davies-Mitchell commented on the night and said, “There’s been really good music and a great variety. The cash bar was good- -my white zinfandel was surprisingly good!” Other students were not as pleased with the cash bar feature. “It would have been nice to have more options,” senior Lauren Charamut expressed. “If there had been no cash bar, I wouldn’t have come.” Foreign exchange student Emmanuel Pierre, a junior from France, said it was nice to see another version of the D.C. His one complaint? Not enough time to dance.
“I have to say it’s too short!” Pierre said of the 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. time frame, “But it’s been a really good night,” Pierre added.
During the dance, Coleman expressed her excitement over the night’s success.
Coleman exclaimed, “The turnout was great!” Timothy Brinkerhoff, KSC senior class president, agreed with Colman and said he thought the night went well.
“We only have two months left,” Brinkerhoff said, “We want to have fun. The DJ is great, and everyone is on the dance floor!”
Senior Morgan Flagg summarized the event when he said, “I came because I heard it was a senior tradition.” When asked if he had plans to make it to the cash bar, Flagg’s response was a quick, “Heck yes!”
Before running towards the dance floor, Flagg concluded, “It’s pretty funny—all of us here in the D.C. I’ve never seen this place get so wild!”
Julie Conlon can be contacted at jconlon1@ksc.mailcruiser.com
