Keene State students and alumni were treated to a formal dinner while receiving lessons in etiquette.
The 12th Annual Etiquette Dinner, hosted in the Mabel Brown Room, on Wednesday, March 27. At the event, students learned how to dine during a formal interview as well as getting the chance to network with alumni.
Some participants came to the event with previous knowledge of formal etiquette and some were there to learn for the first time.
“I’m trying to fact-check what I already know,” said junior CJ Vinas, who was at the event for the first time.
The Etiquette Dinner provided participants with a four-course meal, which included a soup, salad, entree and dessert. There were also lessons on how to properly eat each meal, including which set of silverware to use. Participants could ask questions of the host at any time during the event.
“I’m an alum, and a very recent alum, and I never participated in this while I was here. So I’m definitely learning alongside everyone else,” said Bailey Saddlemire, the internship advisor in Keene State College’s Career Services. “It’s very good to be able to give that advice.”
The purpose of the Etiquette Dinner was to help participants learn how to act in formal dining situations, especially during a formal job interview or dinner party. A slideshow was shown which included slides on common ways to set a table, how to rest one’s silverware on the plate and what behaviors could be seen as inappropriate.
“I kind of wanted to learn how to eat in a fine dining setting. I don’t think my etiquette is up to par for some of the finer restaurants I’m going to be eating at,” said alumnus Paul Slabinski. “Honestly, for interviews or for taking clients on sales calls, it’s probably pretty important to know which fork to use so I don’t make a fool of myself.”
Alumni and students were also able to use the event as an opportunity to network with one another.
While some participants were at this event for the first time, others had come to previous events before.
“I actually went to this last year. It was very nice, so I came back,” said junior Madeleine Forhan. “I think I got a good grasp of [etiquette], my favorite part was learning the fork and knife language and I did remember a bit of that. I have done interviews since the Etiquette Dinner that was at a casual lunch, and… It was a very helpful experience for me.”
When asked if she would come to next year’s dinner, Forhan replied, “Yes!”
Director of Student Involvement Jessica Gagne Cloutier spoke to how the event went.
“In the last two years, our attendance has grown at the event … and certainly students during have seemed really excited for what they’re learning, the food that they get a chance to eat,” said Cloutier. “I think it’s a timely event, happening in the spring as students are looking forward to potential job interviews and internship interviews.”
Cloutier has been part of the team that has been organizing the Etiquette Dinners for the past two years, as there had been a period of time where it hadn’t been hosted.
“It’s … the Office of Student Involvement, Career Services, and Aspire who have come together to kind of bring it back together,” said Cloutier. “We haven’t done our official debrief … but as far as the folks who were sitting at my table, they seemed to really enjoy it and everyone seemed to learn something.”
Orion Corbin can be contacted at
ocorbin@kscequinox.com
