If you’ve attended any campus-wide parties this year, you may have wondered where everyone was. With the exception of what I thought to be a highly successful Fall Ball in September, attendance at campus-wide dances and parties seems to have dwindled. Official attendance records are unavailable according to the Student Life office, but on the evenings of the Winter Dance and Festivus, many students could be seen hopping into Ubers or heading to the Ridges, opting out of the official College parties. Under the tent or in the Cro 1962 room, attendance was visibly sparse.
When asked about declining attendance, Jeannette Williams, Associate Director of Student Engagement and New Student Programs said she couldn’t say whether attendance had declined because “we don’t keep attendance records.” She added, “SAC isn’t really doing anything additional to get more people to go to these events as we already do a lot of promotion, and it’s just a matter of students actually showing up.”
Student representatives of SAC say there has been a disappointing response to recent events, and the SAC is working hard to address it in preparation for next year’s events. Dexter Knight-Richard, Class of ‘27 SAC Rep, says, “I’m definitely not happy with the attendance this year,” adding that “We might be trying to schedule events that are more relaxed and take place at different times, like on Fridays instead of Saturdays because more people have plans on Saturday nights.”
While there are no official attendance records to compare the success of these parties year to year, anecdotally, Fall Ball seems to have had the best turnout. At the Halloween dance a few weeks later, some students reported that it was a heavy Campus Safety presence at the entrance to the dance that drove many students to alternative events. The same was true for Festivus, with many attendees grabbing s’mores and hot chocolate before departing for alternative parties. Attendance at last weekend’s Winter Garden dance suffered due to a competing themed party at Shaking Crab, located down the road from campus.
Upperclass students have also noticed a significant change in how events are attended this year compared to their freshman year. “There has been a puzzling shift in student engagement with campus events across all clubs and orgs, not just limited to SAC,” states Taylor Austin, ‘24, chair of SAC. She added that “Conn is not alone in this, and that it reflects a much bigger trend across higher-ed institutions.” During Austin’s freshman year, most events were small, outdoors, or remote due to the spread of COVID. Big events like Fall Ball, Festivus, and Floralia were still highly attended during her sophomore year. However, over the last two years, she’s been unsure why there’s been a drop in attendance.
If you want to ensure these events are successful and fun, you can always come to a SAC meeting and propose ideas, help plan, and voice your suggestions!
