Next Monday, Feb. 24, the University will hold a Commemoration Ball in honor of the school’s founding. The official anniversary of the school’s founding falls on Feb. 22 each year — the date that the University’s first president, Daniel Coit Gilman, was sworn in.
The celebration will be held at the Engineers Club in Mount Vernon and commences at 9:00 p.m.
Sophomore and Executive Secretary of the Student Government Association (SGA) Kyra Toomre explained that the ball is a way of reviving Gilman’s opinion that the school should honor its establishment in a proud manner befitting of the University’s rich tradition.
“Gilman and the original board of trustees declared [the anniversary] should be celebrated with pomp and ceremony,” she wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Toomre is responsible for the revival and planning of the event, with help from SGA Executive Vice President Janice Bonsu.
Toomre said her inspiration came from the ideas of two young alumni she spoke with over the summer, but that the project since then has borrowed from past celebrations, not just of Hopkins, but of other schools as well.
“Janice and I have been connecting with all of the offices to obtain funding and conceptualizing the evening based off of the old tradition,” Toomre wrote.
Though the SGA has been promoting the Commemoration Ball for the most part, its funding is largely attributed to a collection of several departments at the University, including the Hopkins Alumni Association, the Hopkins Parent Fund and the Office of the Dean of Student Life.
Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell of the Office of Student Life highlighted the amount of work that has gone into the evening and all of the various groups who have contributed their efforts.
“Toomre met with me to talk about the idea in September. . .Student Life and Development and Alumni Relations have worked most closely with the planning,” Boswell wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “Funding was collected from a variety of sources, and I do not as of yet have a total.”
The event, which has never before been held off campus, is open to young alumni of the University, as well as all affiliates of the Homewood community. Those planning the ball anticipate its success, as more than 200 tickets have been purchased since going on sale and the capacity of the chosen venue is 500 attendees.
Senior Ollie McNeely expressed his excitement at the prospect of reviving a tradition that has been in hibernation for many years.
“I’m excited to be a part of bringing back this Hopkins tradition, [and] I’m looking forward to a great night!” he wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Toomre expanded on the school’s decision to revive this method of celebration in honor of the University’s founding, citing a desire to make this old tradition appealing to its contemporary audience.
“We are revamping [it] to appeal to today’s Hopkins’ population,” she wrote. “This event [will] provide a unique outlet for all Hopkins students to socialize, have fun and be together.”
In recent years, Commemoration Day has been observed with a cake cutting ceremony in an effort to appeal to undergraduates. Instead, the Commemoration Ball will seek to unite the community in a more glamorous and celebratory way.
Toomre expressed her hopes for the longevity of the renewed ball.
“Hopefully, this event will grow over the years and become a tradition that students and alumni alike look forward to,” Toomre wrote.
Senior Nicolette Hatzidimitriou also communicated her enthusiasm with regard to the celebration. “I’m looking forward to having a fun night out with my friends,” she wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “I think it’s great that Hopkins is offering more events for students and creating a more memorable semester for seniors.”
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres and desserts, as well as alcoholic beverages for those who are at least 21 years old. Tickets for the evening, which can be purchased online at jhutickets.com or from SGA members posted in Levering and the FFC, cost $15 per person or $20 per couple with transportation included as part of the price. Attendees are encouraged to dress in blue and black formal attire.
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