Binghamton University students don’t have to look far to travel back to the days of Old Hollywood – Saturday’s University-wide semi-formal will be reminiscent of those times.
The semi-formal, “Casablanca,” will be a night of black and white and 2-foot martini glasses. It will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday in the Old University Union’s Mandela Room. Mediterranean Gyro will cater the event, and there will be a chocolate fountain and music spun by DJ Decibel, who plays at The Rathskeller Pub.
This year’s semi-formal is the first time all of the residential communities have united to throw one big event. In the past, each community held an individual end-of-semester event.
Kevin Hussey, a junior majoring in financial economics and assistant to the Student Association’s executive vice president, said a main goal of the event is to bring the college community together, and the SA hopes it will be the start of a new tradition on campus.
“By holding the event we can hopefully get a real feel for a united Binghamton University,” he said.
Hussey also hopes that by joining the efforts of each community, turnout will increase and communities will save money.
“By combining our resources we’re looking at about half the price for each community,” Hussey said. “The communities are splitting the cost for one of everything. The only thing that would increase [from past individual events] is the food.”
There will be a $2 charge at the door, which will be donated to the American Red Cross to help with relief for the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile.
In order to create the Old Hollywood atmosphere, organizers, who include the social vice presidents from each community, plan to drape fabric off the sconces, decorate with a black-and-white color scheme and play the early 1940s movie “Casablanca” on one of the walls.
The 2-foot martini glasses will be used as center pieces and will be filled with water and a red beta fish.
Catherine Cornell, a student coordinator for the Spring Soiree and a sophomore majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law, said the fish and martini glasses will be given away as prizes at the end of the night.
The event does not have to take away from a night Downtown, Cornell said, and while students can choose to dress up, more casual wear is also acceptable.
“You can wear dresses if you want, but I know we’re right by the bus stop, so if you want to wear going-out clothes that’s fine too,” she said. “My friends are going to come for three hours and then go straight Downtown on the 11:00 bus.”
Cornell hopes to see about 500 to 600 people at the event. As of Tuesday night, over 300 wristbands had been sold.
Wristbands can be bought in advance in the community dining halls during dinner hours and in the SA office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Students who have any questions about the event can contact Hussey at khussey1@binghamton.edu.