This year’s square dance hosted by College Union had nearly 600 people in attendance, drawing in crowds from the freshman class to even a few super seniors.
College Union decided to start the year off with a bang. From free shaved-ice to mechanical bull rides, this year’s square dance had something for everyone. Held on the football field as opposed to last year’s event in Coray, the space provided more room for the ever-increasing crowd. College Union exists to “create fun and meaningful community-building activities” while also trying to “bring together a variety of students.” However, it seems that as students draw nearer to graduation, they draw further away from organized school functions and events. This year’s College Union board has noticed the trend and is working to combat it. President of CU senior Tyler Hansen said, “It’s one of the biggest battles we have to fight.” A goal of this year’s board is to find ways to make events more appealing to all students. This year’s vision statement hits on just that issue, looking to “maximize student engagement” by planning “innovative events to energize the campus community.” As for the success of the square dance, Hansen said events coordinator senior Allison Cho was “incredibly persistent, had a lot of grit” and was “working connections like crazy” in order to make the event a success. When asked about how this year’s College Union board compares to last year, Hansen said, “If we’re not growing we’re dying.” He contributed the success of this year thus far to the CU boards that have come before them. The current board is looking to see “how can we take a lot of the good things we have already inherited and then try and take them to another level.” Hansen attributed much of the square dance’s success to the public relations and marketing duo, seniors Marisa Tirado and Melissa Gray. Hansen said Tirado has “actual expertise in advertising and marketing” and “she was able to do a really good job at giving us a big picture frame work,” while Gray “does an incredible job at just making things happened.” As marketing co-managers, Tirado is in charge of graphic design for the board, while Gray handles the public relations aspect. Between Cho, Tirado and Gray, Hansen said, “It’s fun to see those three people really take charge of the event.” Hoping their success continues, College Union’s upcoming events include a coffeehouse on Sept. 30 and a dance on Oct. 2. College Union hopes to CU there.