The University of Indianapolis will be hosting its second Winter Formal on Friday, Dec. 2 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. According to Student Leadership & Activities Board (SLAB) Campus Traditions Chair Abigail Postma, the Winter Formal will be hosted at the Crane Bay Event Center in downtown Indianapolis, which is a new venue for the event.
Associate Dean of Students Steven Freck, who works in Student Affairs said that he likes that the Winter Formal is not on campus. He said it gives students the opportunity to get out into the city and see new places.
“I also love the fact that the DJ is a UIndy alum… [it’s] cool that he’s still connected with the school,” Freck said. “And then it is just fun to see everybody having a good time too… It’s a pretty unique program compared to what’s normally offered on weekends or other campus traditions.”
The Winter Formal is put on to provide UIndy students with something to look forward to at the end of the semester, according to Postma. She said it also gives students a chance to destress with their friends before the holiday break.
“We used to conduct a homecoming gala but strayed away from that as we felt that we needed to have a large-scale event in December that attracted students and celebrated their achievements,” Postma said.
Students that will be attending can purchase up to two tickets, which are $10 each, Freck said. All purchases will be submitted electronically through the EventBrite website. Participants must use their student ID number to access the site, which allows students to purchase two tickets. Students are permitted to invite one visitor, and one may be a non-UIndy student, Postma said. She said the link to the website may be found on SLAB’s Instagram or in the weekly emails.
The event will also be providing appetizers and free parking for the students attending. The school shuttle will be running, however, the timetable for the shuttle will be available closer to the Winter Formal, Freck said.
For this event, UIndy will be following the clear bag policy. The objective behind the clear bag policy will be to ensure safety and expediting security procedures while attending an event, according to Clear Handbag & More, which is a company that designs and supplies clear bags for events similar to the Winter Formal.
“There will be a bag check, so especially if ladies need to bring a purse or something, we’ll just ask that they check it at the door… if it’s not a clear purse, [the students will] be able to check it… They have full time staff who do that, [the students will] get a ticket so it should be very secure,” Freck said.
With the date closely approaching, UIndy is directly working with the event staff to deliver a successful Winter Formal, Postma said. Tickets are currently available right now on EventBrite for purchase, and will be available for purchase on the day of the dance, according to Freck.
