On Saturday, Jan. 28, Loyola’s Student Government Association hosted a semi-formal dance for First-Years and Sophomores themed “A Night Under the Stars” to welcome students back to campus for the spring semester.  

Brendan Colin, the Chief Marketing Officer for SGA who was responsible for promoting the semi-formal on social media, shared that the event had its roots in building community for First-Years and Sophomores. 

“It was something that happened last year for the first time, and we really wanted to continue doing it this year just for the sake of bringing the classes together and starting off the semester with an event,” Colin said.

McGuire Hall was transformed into a dance venue, with tables and chairs set up for guests to sit, as well as an open area that served as the dance floor. The space was decorated with gold and silver balloons and streamers, and attendees were encouraged to contribute to the décor by writing their names on paper stars at the door and sticking them to the wall right inside the entrance.  

Luci Fiorini ‘26 said, “The theme, Under the Stars, definitely worked for it. There were a lot of stars everywhere.”

The semi-formal had a large turnout, with a significant number of registrations coming in during the hours leading up to the event.   

Colin said, “An hour before, they had 450 registrations, and by the time they finished all of the preparation for the event, they were at over 500 registrations. So, they got 50 registrations in the last, like, hour. It was definitely a bigger turnout than I, and I think they, were expecting.” 

First-Years and Sophomores celebrated the start of the semester together at the semi-formal for two hours, enjoying dancing and the company of their classmates until the very end. 

Fiorini said, “I had a phenomenal time. I think it was very fun. It definitely added something to the monotony of the weekends, sometimes when you just don’t know what to do. It definitely added a lot of excitement into kind of the bland months of the winter.” 

For some First-Years and Sophomores, the semi-formal provided a sense of closure in addition to creating new experiences, as it served as a proxy for milestone dances that they missed out on in high school due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

“It definitely had that very chill and kind of casual vibe that high school dances usually have, so there was a bit of closure there, but it did have that college experience as well,” said Fiorini. 

The night concluded with Midnight Breakfast in Boulder 2.0, where students were able to continue the fun as they talked about the dance over eggs and French toast sticks. 

“I think the highlight of the night was probably going to Midnight Breakfast. That was very fun,” added Fiorini. 

Featured Image Courtesy of Sophia Strocko.