With the end of the school year fast approaching, a long-held Milligan tradition is right around the corner. Milligan’s Student Government Association is hosting the anticipated spring formal, more popularly known as That Big Party.
That Big Party is held annually for Milligan students and features a banquet for seniors followed by a dance open to all Milligan students. Each year, That Big Party features a different theme, last year being themed around Big City Lights and this year being Humanities Art Slides.
According to SGA President Gabriel Logan, this year’s theme was voted on by Milligan students on both Twitter and Instagram.
“Humanities Art Slides as a theme started out as a joke,” he said, “but I think it resonates with a lot of students on campus, so it will be interesting to see how people interpret that when they come.”
The theme Humanities Art Slides decisively beat out its competitors Around the World, Black Tie and The 70s.
The senior banquet that comes before the actual dance features three food options: beef, chicken parmesan and a vegetarian option. The banquet will also be featuring Professor of humanities Heather Hoover as keynote speaker. Seniors will be able to enjoy a final humanities send off if they attend the banquet and dance.
The SGA Events Committee, which is supervised by executive treasurer Praise Gichuru and chaired by Taylor Begley, will spend the last part of the semester in their SGA roles designing and creating the decor for the event. Usually the dance features a DJ or band, but this year SGA has decided to allow students to suggest their own favorite songs, which will begin in the next few weeks.
Last year, TBP’s name was changed to simply Spring Formal. After controversy due to the name change, a debate and senate vote was held. The name was ultimately changed back to “That Big Party.”
“We wanted to make sure that what happened last year did not happen this year,” Logan said. “If the senate and students want the name to be That Big Party, then we will do everything to make sure the name is exactly how they want it. The idea is to have a great time and celebrate the time that seniors had in school, despite the name of the celebration.”
Tickets will be sold every school day in the cafeteria lobby for $10 by SGA representatives until April 11. The night of the dance, tickets will cost $15 upon entry. That Big Party will be held at the Johnson City Country Club on Saturday, April 14, with the dinner starting at 6 and the dancing beginning around 8. Follow SGA for more updates and information on TBP on Twitter at @Milligan_sga or on Instagram at @milligansga.