the royal gala

story by Erin Cheney

Gala table decorations the food table

Cougar Days looked a little different this year. With the cancellation of a majority of fall sports and activities, faculty and homecoming planners chose to mix it up with a variety of events, new and improved. These events such as Pumpkin Painting, Coronation, and Trivia Night were all a huge success with students. To end the week USF Students met in the Salsbury Dining Hall for a night of games, snacks, and quality time spent together at The Royal Gala. Orientation Coordinator Mariah Heckathorn said the idea came up weeks before during a New Student Orientation debriefing. She said, “We knew that many incoming students didn’t experience the typical senior year milestones, like prom and graduation. Along with that, I’ve noticed my friends at other schools attending formal events the past few years, and other USF students have wondered why we couldn’t do something like that here. So when someone suggested hosting a “prom” event, we all loved the idea.” Orientation Coordinator Mercy Oyadare said, “Deciding the name took a significant amount of time because we wanted to choose the right name that conveyed the appropriate message. ”

The planning of the event took some effort. “As with all events this year, the Covid-19 restrictions made the planning process a little rough. The center of a normal formal event is usually a dance, which is not socially distanced. I asked my friends for socially distanced activity ideas, and we decided to play board games and group Kahoot trivia instead of having a dance,” Heckathorn said. They also got some assistance from her mother who is a wedding florist, so she loaned them vases and arranged centerpieces of wild grasses.

The Gala was a huge success among students. Ladies and gentlemen were dressed to the nines in an array of colors. There was also an array of snacks: brownies, blondies, oatmeal bars, and sugar cookies were just a few of the choices available. There were board games on every table for groups to enjoy. With socially distant tables, groups were able to spend time together and enjoy the games while still being safe. Oyadare said, “I loved how people were willing to and enjoyed playing board games while all dolled up with their friends. We even had a group stay late past the end of the event because they were having such a good time.” A few rounds of Kahoot were played with Pop Culture topics such as The Marvel Universe, Vine References, and The Office facts. Heckathorn said, “Kahoot is pretty unorthodox for a formal event, but then again, everything this school year has been a tad unorthodox due to the virus. Something I really enjoyed was seeing everyone engaged and laughing together while playing.” With nearly 35 players per game, the tensions were high but winners triumphed and were awarded coupons to nearby businesses. An enormous thank you to the Orientation Coordinators for planning a fantastic event that brought Cougar Days 2020 to a lovely close. photos courtesy of Mariah Heckathorn 13