The month of October brings the excitement of fall, pumpkin-spice lattes and Halloween but, most importantly, it brings homecoming.

The formal fall dance will be held this Friday at 8 p.m. To add to the excitement of the event, Rockhurst hosts the event at an off-campus location. To prohibit potential traffic incidents involving alcohol and to reduce the frustration of figuring out where to park, students are required to ride busses to the dance.

Members of the Student Activities Board (SAB) host several events during homecoming
week to boost students’ energy and excitement for the dance on Friday. The events SAB hosts for homecoming vary every year. Some of the events this year include: a food truck on the Arrupe circle on Tuesday, pumpkin-painting on Wednesday and caramel apples on the quad on Thursday.

On Monday, SAB brought in mentalist Sean Bott. Aria Townsend, sophomore, said, “I was looking forward to seeing the mentalist because I was interested in the mind-reading aspect and was ready to prove him wrong.”

To boost attendance, SAB announced that students who attended the event on Monday had a chance to win the newest Apple watch. Having such an exciting event to kick off homecoming week made students pumped for the dance.

Unfortunately, the amount of rain and bad weather this week required a slight change of plans for these events. The pumpkin-painting, caramel apples and food trunk were all pushed into one day.

However, the changes worked out well because the events were held on Wednesday, providing mid-week relief to students.

To attend the dance, every student, and their dates, must have a ticket. Students can purchase tickets at the SAB box located in Massman Hall from Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. The tickets cost $3 for 1 person and 2 tickets are $5.

When she heard about the ticket prices, Jaci Welker, sophomore said, “The tickets are so cheap this year – were they always like this?”

The affordability of this year’s dance is not the only thing that students are excited for. Some students are looking forward to going out and having fun after a long week of midterm exams, while others are excited to dress up and take photos with their friends.

While talking to a freshman, Welker described her favorite part of homecoming: “Make sure you go to the photo booth because it is so fun putting on different costumes and taking funny pictures.”

Madeleine Trotier, sophomore, said her favorite memory of homecoming was “dancing with friends towards the very end when mostly everyone had [already] left [the venue].” For Trotier, this moment was very special because it was one of the first times she and her current friends “hung out” together.

Homecoming provides a place for people to enjoy themselves and spark new friendships.

From your first dance to your last, the formal fall dance is an event that you will not forget, so grab your tickets in Massman today. It will be worth it – the memories will last a lifetime.

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