After a nine-year hiatus, a Union tradition will reclaim its place on the dance floor.
The Cardinal Ball, a school-wide formal, will take place April 26 at the New Southern Building in downtown Jackson.
“It’ll be a chance for a formal event where you get to put on a long dress, a suit, and go and stand up taller and be proud of yourself,” said Mason English, junior cell and molecular biology major, chairman of the ball’s committee and executive treasurer for the Student Government Association.
The Cardinal Ball hearkens back to the late 1990s, but attendance began to dwindle during its later years. In 2006, the ball was canceled due to lack of interest.
For years students have mentioned bringing back the ball, but until last semester no one committed to the effort, said Jason Castles, assistant dean of students and director of Student Leadership and Engagement.
“A need was seen on campus where there’s nowhere you can do this,” English said. “You have to be in an organization. You have to be a Greek, to be in honors, to actually go to a dance. That’s kind of a big ‘no-no’ on campus. So there was kind of a hole, a vacuum.”
Junior class vice president Morgan Kroeger, accounting and Spanish major, founded the ball’s committee, which English soon headed.
After sorting through costs and possible venues, the student committee met with Union leadership and received support for the ball.
While Greek organizations and a few other groups such as the Honors Community regularly hold dances, Union has not recently held a formal open to all students.
“That’s something I care about, bringing every student on campus together in a unique way,” said Kroeger.
SGA and the Student Activities Council have partnered to bring back the ball.
The two organizations split the finances, and both have representatives on the committee.
Castles attended the Cardinal Ball several times as a Union student before his graduation in 2003.
Sometimes the ball was held in downtown Jackson. On other occasions, students drove to Memphis for the event.
This year the ball will include a lounge setup on the second floor of the New Southern Building, complete with finger foods and “mingle space,” English said. “Then downstairs, pretty much the entire thing will be a dance floor.”
While the Campus Life Handbook for 2013-2014 “prohibits dancing at any Union University sponsored event held on campus,” the ball’s off-campus location meant administration did not hesitate to approve the event, English said.
Even before any official announcement of the event, reports about the Cardinal Ball are sweeping campus.
“I probably get a question or two a day about it,” English said.
While committee members initially thought they would not reach their 400-ticket limit, English said he now believes tickets will sell out rapidly.
Ticket sales will entirely cover the costs of the Cardinal Ball, and any remaining profits will be donated to The HUB Club, a local ministry.
Sales will begin near the end of February. Tickets will cost $15 per person or $25 for a couple, and students may bring a date who is not a Union student.
“The major goal for the Cardinal Ball is that this is an invitation to all students,” English said. “Not just independents or those without an organization, but for everyone.”
