Miami to continue tradition of Charter Day Ball in coming weeks

By Bonnie Meibers, For The Miami Student

The 2015 Charter Day Ball will be held from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Millet Hall, and the theme is "Fire and Ice."

The Charter Day Ball is Miami's longest running student-organized event. It is held to celebrate the university's chartering in 1809.

Miami University was founded in February of 1809, but the first classes were not held until the year 1824 and the first Charter Day Ball was held in 1976. Before this time, instead of an elaborate ball, the university held a small celebration to acknowledge the day Miami was founded.

"It is a big part of the Miami tradition," said Samantha Von Hoene, senior and executive co-chair of the Charter Day Ball committee.

The Charter Day Ball draws many faculty, alumni and community members to campus. Students are also invited to bring friends and family who don't attend Miami.

To go along with the ball's theme of "Fire and Ice," there will be fire performers outside of Millet. Inside Millet, students can expect the Kim Kelly Orchestra to be performing 50s style music, similar to Frank Sinatra, from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Various acapella groups, like the Cheezies, Open Fifth, Misfitz and Treble Makers, will be performing to give the orchestra breaks. D.J. Steve the Greek will be "turning up the heat" from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Also inside Millet will be photo booths and dancing. While a sit-down meal will not be offered at the ball, hors d'oeuvres, including vegetarian and gluten-free options, will be served.

The Charter Day Ball committee has been planning this event for over a year and a half now.

"We started to get the ball rolling fall of 2013," said executive co-chair of the Charter Day Ball and senior Rachel Anthony.

Anthony and Von Hoene organized a team to host the Charter Day Ball. Their team is made up of 51 Miami students, each of whom had to apply to be on various planning committees.

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The Charter Day Ball planning committee held a meeting with all members once a month and each different committee met separately multiple times.

There has been a great deal of fundraising involved in the planning of the Charter Day Ball. Some fundraising events included selling grilled cheese at the Phi Delta Theta Gates last semester and having a percentage of profit from restaurants Uptown, such as La Piñata and Skipper's Pub, donated.

Van Hoene said she is looking forward to seeing more than a year's worth of planning come to fruition.

"The best part of planning [an event] is seeing everybody enjoying the hard work you put in," Von Hoene said.

Students can purchase tickets for the Charter Day Ball for $40 each in the Shriver Box Office using cash, credit or MUlaa, online at the HUB, or they can buy tickets at the door.