Friday night, United DePauw hosted the annual Drag Ball in the Union Building Ballrooom to celebrate the LGBT community on campus and of course, drag fashion.
For the event, United DePauw invited three professional drag queens from Indianapolis to attend the event. The performers sang, lip-synched popular songs and danced — all to put on a show to entertain the audience. Students also added to the list of performers, bringing in some home-grown talent.
Members of United DePauw had been planning the event for over a semester. In the past, the planning and organization had been entirely student-led, but this year the preparation was more of a collaborative, including members of both the faculty and staff. Student members of United DePauw traveled to Indianapolis to personally select the drag queens for the event, and carry on a tradition that began just last year.
The event was also a fundraising opportunity for the Albany Damien Center, a community center in Indianapolis. Money raised benefits people affected by HIV/AIDS.
The event coordinators noted that this year the event was much better attended by greek-affiliated students than years previous.
"Its really important that there were lots of greek [students] there," said junior Nic Flores, member of United DePauw and event coordinator. "It is really affirming to us that it was not just an inclusive event, but that all of campus was there."
While attendance among greek-affiliated students was high, general attendance and student support were exceptionally high as well. The UB Ballroom was full throughout the evening, and extra chairs were needed to accommodate the crowd.
"The Drag Ball was probably one of my favorite nights here, and I'm already planning on attending next year," said student Trista Wyman. "It was an absolute blast, the event was really energetic and everyone was dancing and having a good time."
"I think the event was a great thing to have in light of the recent news about suicide amongst gay teens," said Alaina Hobbs, a senior and member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. "It is always good to stimulate and promote dialogue about these topics."
Hobbs attended the event in the past and enjoyed the ball. She was also quick to point out that Intervarsity Christian Fellowship is a group about love and the discussion of different beliefs and ideas, not a group about hatred.
The day after the event, students chatted about the ball, shared humorous anecdotes and informed friends about the event.
Those in charge of planning the event were astounded at the Ball's success this year. The night exceeded their expectations and brought campus together in a way that they had not imagined was possible.
"My favorite part of the nights is when every person in the room got involved in a dance party to ‘Firework' by Katy Perry," said senior T.J. Metcalf, a member of United DePauw. "Every single person was dancing and singing and having a good time – even faculty and staff."
While the Ball is already the best-known event United DePauw hosts throughout the year, the group has high hopes for the future.
"I hope the event continues to grow and the future and we see more and more people attending as the years go on," said Ryan Jones, co-president of United DePauw. "I loved seeing people's reactions to drag. My favorite part of the event was, well, the whole night."