The students of California Lutheran University attended the Spring Formal at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on May 2^.

The event had a theme of “Hollywood” which showed through its decoration. The event included a red carpet leading into the entrance of the building where guests were greeted by Johnny Depp and Marilyn Monroe impersonators.

Students were also served free food and beverages, and activities included dancing, a photo booth and the opportunity to tour Air Force One, the airplane President Reagan used during his term in office.

The event was held in the Air Force One Pavilion inside the Presidential Library. The venue had three floors and an outdoor balcony area. Students entered on the top floor, where they could tour Air Force One. On the second floor, food and “mocktails” were served to students who could sit at tables or mingle with classmates. On the bottom floor was a dance floor where students could dance and listen to music being played by a DJ.

“When it got down to it we wanted to have as much space as possible for all the things we wanted to throw into it. The pavilion area gives us a lot of opportunities to have as much diversity in the event as possible,” Programs Board Director Evan Carthen said. “We tried to make sure we had something in there for everyone.”

Sophomore Kaylie Sergott said the venue was her favorite part of the evening.

“Really cool venue…we get to see some history. It’s really big so everyone fits nicely there’s a lot of walking around to do and a lot to see,” Sergott said.

Planning of the event has been in the works since September, according to Programs Board Committee Chair, Amber Trujillo. According to Trujillo, Program’s Board had to decide between a spring formal and a spring concert, which was an event at Cal Lutheran last year.

“Every year we go back and forth between if we’re going to do a spring formal or a concert. This year the board decided they wanted to do a spring formal because last year we did a concert,” Trujillo said. “A lot of students were upset that we didn’t do a spring formal and we felt there was a need for it.”

According to Trujillo, in past years students have had to pay upwards of thirty dollars for a ticket to Spring Formal. However, this year it was free for the first time.

“In the past Spring Formal has never been free, but this year we really strived to make sure it was free for students and get the attendance we wanted … We wanted to give students something they could really enjoy at the end of the year,” Trujillo said.

According to Carthen, Spring Formal is a way of giving students something fun to do while also bringing them together.

“I think its just another way to get students together, try to reach a group of students that maybe necessarily didn’t have a great formal experience from high school or who just wanted to have the opportunity to get out and dance,” Carthen said.

Senior Jordan Oram said he enjoyed the venue and the event.

“Spring Formal is a great way to wrap up the whole school year and really brings together the students,” Oram said.

Carthen said he hoped those attending the event took advantage of the opportunity to socialize with their peers and to have a good time.

“Hopefully they meet someone new, hopefully they’re able to create a memory with a friend … because that’s one thing about college is it goes really fast and so I hope students take this opportunity. It’s not guaranteed that they’ll have one next year or the year after,” Carthen said.

Samantha Chittenden
Staff Writer
Published May 6th, 2015