Thirty clubs and organizations decorated eagle centerpieces as part of "The Eagle Challenge," that premiered Saturday night at the Founder's Day Ball, marking the end of Founder's Week.
The centerpieces were judged by the Office of Campus Life on criteria such as creativity, AU spirit and how well it represented the organization, according to Leah Kreimer, Student Government vice president.
Women's Initiative won $500 for their first-place eagle. Democratic Women and Friend's of AU won second place and $175. AU Red Cross, EcoSense and AU Women's Ice Hockey tied for third place and each received $75.
Three third place winners were chosen because they were "all really close when we judged them. It would have been wrong to pick one when they were so incredibly close and they were all wonderful," Kreimer said.
Jen Smyers, director of the Women's Initiative, thought that "The Eagle Challenge" added AU spirit to Founder's Week.
Women's Initiative's first-place eagle was decorated like Rosie the Riveter, according to Smyers. The eagle was spray-painted yellow with a denim shirt and a red bandanna. It also had a "Be Empowered" pin, a real Rosie the Riveter sticker and the Women's Initiative logo.
"Obviously Women's Initiative covers a wide array of issues and so it was important for us, since the eagle represented our entire organization, that we didn't pick something specific to one issue," Smyers said.
The Women's Initiative is one of the least-funded on-campus clubs, Smyers said.
"We think its [money] a great reward for the hard work that they did and we really appreciate them for entering the challenge," Kreimer said.
441 tickets were sold for the dance, which was held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown D.C.
A band, Diamond Alley, played until 11 p.m. then DJ Dustin from the Washington Talent Agency played until 1 a.m., Kremier said.
"I think having a live [band] is really classy and it creates a little bit of diversity to vary the entertainment throughout the evening," Kreimer said.
Students had mixed reactions about the music.
"It was cool because it wasn't all the same old music you hear on the radio everyday," said Claire Plant, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Other students, however, would have preferred a DJ to play the whole night.
"I liked the DJ a lot better," said Linda Beck, a sophomore in the School of Communication. "I thought the band was too old school for my taste."
Kreimer chose the menu of a dessert table, two chocolate fountains, a cheese and crackers platter, and various punches. For those of age, a cash bar was also on hand.
"I have to give Leah so much credit," Smyers said. "I didn't expect the dance to be as amazing as it was. I was incredibly impressed with the dance last night and it's pretty difficult to impress me that much."
Students in general seemed to have a good evening.
"Even though I had been to the Mayflower before, the ballroom was even more beautiful, especially with the chocolate fountain. The live band was amazing and I couldn't help but dance all night," said Alison Goh, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs.
Overall, Kreimer was pleased with the event.
"I started planning it in October, and I looked at a lot of places but I wanted something historical downtown, and I couldn't have asked for anything better with the Mayflower," she said.
Joe Vidulich, SG secretary thought the dance was a great end to Founder's Week.
"It really made you proud to be an AU student," said Vidulich, who turned 20 yesterday. "I'm a big fan of the 'Cha-Cha Slide' ... It was the best birthday ever"