The Asian Student Association turned the Multicultural Student Services Center into an Enchanted Forest as part of the theme for their Fall Ball on Friday.
The walls were covered in ivy, string lights and butterflies complemented by white balloons on the floor. Fake moss and flowers were the centerpieces on each table. A photobooth was placed at the far corner of the room with a buffet table on the near side of the door.
The ASA served different kinds of sushi, spring rolls and dumplings. A chocolate fountain sat with strawberries, marshmallows and pretzel sticks to dip in. These were followed by two boba stations to highlight the refreshments.
The ball was on the organization’s agenda back in May, according to ASA President Vincent Lee. Planning began in early October with each executive board member given a task to complete for the ball. Lee’s task was finishing the paperwork of the ball and overseeing everyone else’s assignments.
The turnout was amazing, according to Lee. The ball surpassed his expectations and he was happy to see all general members come to the ball. It was also great to see others outside the ASA community to share the experience.
“I have complete faith in my team to do what they were assigned with to get things done,” Lee said.
Other assignments were catering, music, people’s invites and decorations, according to Alex Bolland, the philanthropy manager who took care of the decorations.
The ball is important to the ASA because it’s about the University of Rhode Island community coming together, according to Bolland. Alumni also attended, reuniting with the current members and having fun.
The theme was chosen by the public relations manager and secretary, according to Lee. The planning process for the ball took a while to execute because there were so many elements they wanted to include this year.
The theme of the ball came from an idea in high school of an enchanted forest party but didn’t follow through, according to Kadin Sisavat, the public relations manager. He brought the idea up to the ASA with a vision of what it would look like. Sisavat’s job in planning the fall ball was setting up the photo booth.
At first, Sisavat called people up to create a standby photobooth. However, they were booked so he had to come up with a second option. Sisavat bought polaroid cameras for the e-board to take pictures of guests.
“I think it was kind of better because I have access to my camera, just walking around and capturing the moment,” Sisavat said. “I love to see people having a good time at that exact time.”
For dancing, the speaker featured new and old hits like “HOT TO GO,” by Chapell Roan, “Party in the USA,” by Miley Cyrus and “Starships” by Nicki Minaj.
ASA’s next big event is Rollax, a food event collaborating with the Filipino Student Association, according to Lee. Members of the URI community will learn about, make and eat various Asian food and the culture. This will be held on Dec. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rams Den in the Memorial Union.