spring formal

Chatham University hosts annual Spring Formal at Phipps Conservatory

chathamcommunique

On the evening of Friday, April 10, Chatham University’s Offices of Student Activities and Residence Life hosted the annual Spring Formal. Students bought tickets throughout the months of March and April, making the event highly anticipated.

The event was hosted at Phipps Conservatory, a welcome change from last year’s venue of Rea Coffeehouse. Attendees began the evening with a stroll through the exhibits, ending in the Tropical Forest Congo, to which the venue was connected.

A blank white room had been transformed earlier in the day to feature spring colors, tables, and a dance floor. Attendees were met with light refreshments—tapenade, cupcakes, pudding, and, of course, Parkhurst’s famous artichoke dip. Those over 21 also had the opportunity to partake in the cash bar, while those underage got to enjoy sodas and water.

The wall of windows was uncovered for the first hour or so of the event, allowing attendees a beautiful view of the Pittsburgh sunset. Those were later covered up to give way to a more club-like atmosphere.

Throughout the night, students were allowed to mill through the conservatory, taking advantage of the spring exhibits such as the Butterfly Forest and the Spring Flower Show. With the flowers finally blooming, the exhibits were truly a sight to behold. Well-dressed students were seen throughout the conservatory all night.

“It was really cool to be able to walk around Phipps…because I’ve never been there before,” said first year Teri Bradford.

The evening got off to a bit of a slow start, as with most events. For the first hour or so, attendees slowly filtered in, getting snacks and drinks and mingling around the room.

Around eight o’clock, the party picked up as the first groups of students made their way to the dance floor. From that point on, it was a non-stop singing and dancing party to the current hits, as well as a few classic favorites spun by the DJ, who graciously took song requests throughout the evening.

“When everyone started dancing, it got really fun,” said sophomore Maraena Testa. “It was great getting to see people that I don’t see on campus very often, and I loved that we got to walk around Phipps, because I hadn’t been there in years.”

Bradford agreed, saying, “Spring Formal was surprisingly fun. There was a good turn out, the DJ was great, and the refreshments were on point.”

The party wound down at ten o’clock, when the Conservatory closed and students were ushered out. As a parting gift, students took home “flower bombs”—seeds encased in a clay-like mixture that attendees could plant and watch grow throughout the spring. It will be a wonderful reminder of a very fun evening.

Overall, the event was a success. Attendees thoroughly enjoyed the venue, food, music, and great company. There is no doubt that the tradition will continue for many years to come.

Reflecting on the evening, sophomore Juliet Casinelli said, “There is nothing better than getting together with your best girlfriends, dancing, singing, and laughing. Spring Formal was a blast. I can’t wait till next year.”

Students gather in Rea Coffeehouse for the 2014 Spring Formal

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Despite the initial hurdle of bad weather that prevented the Chatham Spring Formal from being held at Eden Hall as originally intended, the event went on as planned in the Rea Coffeehouse on Friday, April 11.

Due to the inclement weather, attendees were offered their choice of a refund on ticket prices or the opportunity to make a donation to the Senior Class Gift at the door. Despite an initially low turnout at 7 p.m., the influx of students eager to mingle, listen to music at an unreasonable volume, and eat cupcakes picked up by 8 p.m. and the basement of Rea was filled almost to capacity soon after.

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly Cupcakes at the Spring Formal

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly
Cupcakes at the Spring Formal

As with last year’s Spring Formal–hosted at the PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo–there was a large selection of cupcakes in various flavors including mimosa, margarita, strawberry, red velvet, creative cheesecake, s’more, and half a dozen others. Other offerings included sandwiches, buffalo chicken dip, artichoke dip, crackers and cheese, and non-alcoholic beverages for underage students, as well a small selection of alcoholic beverages for of-age students.

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly First-year Riley St. Clair and sophomore Natalie Beck enjoy Spring Formal

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly
First-year Riley St. Clair and sophomore Natalie Beck enjoy Spring Formal

While the Rea Coffee House gives off the general air of an underground bomb shelter while the lights are on, they were turned off and only the pink lights strung up on the mantle of the brick fireplace and the flash of cameras provided illumination until the end of the evening. Turning off the lights, though, did manage to give the formal a more club-like feeling, aided by the DJ’s song selection.

An unintended attraction at the Spring Formal was the graffiti on the walls of the coffeehouse, which seems to have been there since time immemorial–or at least the 1980s.  Students over the years have added their own signatures and images to all available wall space, and occasionally even reaching up to the ceiling to have more area to cover.

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly First-year Margaret McGovney dancing at the Spring Formal

Photo Credit: Dasha Jolly
First-year Margaret McGovney dancing at the Spring Formal

Even with the location change, a fun time was had by all. Students can look forward to Spring Formal next year as a continuation of this beloved Chatham tradition.