campus activities 23 Social clubs and other organizations on campus provided students with many opportunities to attend functions and events, whether they were formals or themed affairs. However, since participation was limited to club membership, all students did not get the chance to take part. The Student Association wanted to create an event open to all members of the student body. SA Vice President Megan Reese, a senior, thought it was extremely important for such an event to take place. “Not every student at Harding has the opportunity to attend a club function, so we wanted to create one that everyone could enjoy, despite what social circle they were in,” Reese said. The SA created and sponsored The Event, Harding’s first school-wide function. The goal was to make the function accessible and fun for everyone. The back room of the cafeteria was transformed into a dining hall; the meal was catered by Aramark. “The caf food was at the top of its game,” Reese said. “It was all so nice. We had great food, pretty centerpieces and linens, and everyone was dressed well. It really felt like a nice night out.” The only payment for the night of festivities was two swipes of a student’s ID card, compared to a normal cafeteria entry-fee of one swipe. The main event of the evening was the date auction that followed the meal. Eleven of Harding’s bachelors were put up for auction. Two of those men, cousins Drew Dell, a senior, and Harrison Dell, a sophomore, were sold as a pair. “Before the auction, I was hesitant to even go up to the front because I thought the whole thing would be a bust,” Drew said. “I thought maybe the highest bidder would pay $10 or $15.” But he was definitely wrong. At first, both said they felt a little awkward while being sold off to the highest bidder, but it was not until they stepped outside of their comfort zones that the prices started to soar. “We both tried to do stupid stuff to try to get the attention off of us, and as soon as I heard $120, I didn’t believe it,” Drew said. Despite their fears, Drew and Harrison earned the highest bid of the evening, even though they were sold as a double-date. The auction was an overwhelming success. The female students in attendance opened their wallets and were ready to pay up for their chance to go on a date with one of the bachelors. Junior Kalyn Heid had not planned on participating in the auction at The Event, but came only to support her friend who was going to bid. However, her plans quickly changed. “When we all saw who was up for bid, my friends told me to bid,” Heid said. “So I did. I guess you could say it was peer pressure.” Once Heid started to bid, she found herself unable to stop despite any financial complications that would result. “The whole time I was thinking, ‘I can’t believe I am actually doing this. How in the world will I pay for this if I win? I’m broke!’ ” Heid said. “It was definitely an experience because it was something I would have never done.” Luckily, depending on the perspective, Heid did not win the auction and was not forced to face financial woes. After freshman Logan Callier’s turn on the auction block, he quickly made plans with his date. “For our date, we are going to go to sonic and Wal-Mart, and we are going to the park to walk through the Christmas lights,” he said. Altogether, the date auction raised $605. The SA donated all of the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. “We were totally blown away by the great participation we had,” Reese said. “So many people came out for The Event, and so much money was raised for a great cause. I think this just shows us that no matter how much we may be consumed by our own little circles, our school has a great since of unity. If anything, The Event has proven the need for more activities like that.” Hannah Ware the event of the year
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