The Coalition of AU Students (CAUS) hosted an alternative Founders' Day Ball on Feb. 23 in Tavern for students who could not get tickets to the official Founders' Day Ball at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Around 30 students attended the ball, which featured student DJ Travis Bozeman, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and lasted from 8 p.m. until midnight, close to concurrent with the AU ball at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
CAUS hosted the event to accommodate those who did not receive one of the limited tickets distributed by the Student Government for the official ball, according to CAUS member Sophia Miyoshi, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Students have been upset in the past after being unable to get tickets for the official ball, according to Miyoshi. All students contribute to the official ball through AU's student activity fee, but not all students are able to attend, Miyoshi said.
"We did it to give people another option," Miyoshi said.
CAUS applied for the space in Tavern one month prior to the event. The group had looked into hosting the ball in the Katzen Arts Center or the School of International Service atriums, but the higher cost of those locations led to the selection of the Tavern, which was free, Chris Litchfield, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, said in an email.
The group plans to hold another alternative ball in 2014 with more planning, promotion and the possible invitation of campus workers, according to Miyoshi.
"We're hoping to make it a tradition," Miyoshi said. "We want the whole AU community to be involved."
jangle@theeagleonline.com
