Magic in the air, candlelight flickering at the dining tables, and the Sorting Hat, brought

everyone together to have a good time and dancing and laughter at this year’s Snowball.

The annual fall semi-formal dance was hosted on December 3 rd , at Amarantes Sea Cliff

in New Haven. This year’s theme for Snowball was Harry Potter. The dance was open to

all undergraduate students, and tickets were sold in the form of a Hogwarts letter.

Organized and planning of Snowball was done by the Class Presidents of 2017-2020,

and the Assistant Director of Campus Programs, Colleen Kerrigan. It took around a

month to plan and prepare for, and to bring the theme to life. All ideas and structure of

the event was student run, and CSELO helped to orchestrate it.

“Snowball is one of my favorite Fall events, and it’s a great way to end the semester and

bring everyone from all organizations together to celebrate. Being my last one, I am so

happy to say it was one of the best yet. I had so much fun and hope everyone else did as

well!”, said Keelin Herbst, Class of 2017 President.

Students brought the dance floor to life throughout the whole night, and even did the

mannequin challenge. The event has been larger in the past, but students that came

enjoyed the dinner, dance, and lots of picture taking.

“I thought Snowball was a great opportunity for students to enjoy themselves and not

worry about the stress school brings before finals week. Whether it was dancing to the

music on the dance floor or talking to your friends, everyone seemed to be having a

great time and I can’t wait to see what the Class Officers have in store for next year’s

Snowball.”, said Nicholas Mroczka, junior and USGA senator.

This year’s theme was much more immersive than past years. The Harry Potter event

had themed decorations, for example, pages from the books at each table served as a

centerpiece, a Sorting Hat and Hedwig in the lobby, with gifts addressed to Harry and

his friends under the Christmas tree. There was a photo booth that had props, a 9 ¾

platform sign, ties specific to each house, wands, and holiday themed props and signs as

well. Students enjoyed the familiarity of the loved franchise, and everyone received

rugby style U.N.H. colored scarves as a novelty item.

“The atmosphere was very enjoyable, from the music, the Harry Potter themed

decorations like the pages from the actual books on the tables, to the Sorting Hat at the

door, it was great!”, said Patrick Smith, sophomore.