The Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) hosted the Residence Formal again last month after a one-year hiatus due to a lack of budgeting during the 2015-16 academic year.
In an interview with The Charlatan in April 2016, then-president of RRRA Graham Pedregosa said no money was budgeted for a residence formal specifically. Instead of the formal, he said RRRA used $30,200 to host FROST 2016, a concert featuring performers iLoveMakonnen and DJ Mustard.
This year’s formal, “a Masquerade in Venice,” was held on Jan. 27 at Casino Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Que.
Hyder Naqvi, president and chief financial officer at RRRA, called the formal “everything [RRRA] had been hoping for” this year.
“I’ve heard great things from many students. Some students have called it one of the best events this year,” Naqvi said.
He added that the formal improved the community among residence students.
“I’m happy to have been a part of the event. Many residence floors went together in groups and it created the sense of community we like to encourage,” Naqvi said.
Kieran Bingham, a second-year computer science student who lives in Frontenac House, said RRRA did a good job organizing the formal.
“The food was good. The atmosphere of the casino made things feel both formal as well as exciting. It was a great chance for everyone who has made groups of friends in res to get out, make some memories, and escape the ‘starving student’ life even for a night,” Bingham said via Facebook.
He said a drawback was the length of the event.
“My one complaint is that it felt like the night went so fast that we didn’t have enough time,” Bingham said.
According to Naqvi, this year’s success means the residence formal is viable for years to come.
“Through our success with this event, we’ve demonstrated that this is a great event for the residence community. I expect future RRRA executives will be interested in continuing this tradition,” Naqvi said.
“There are many possibilities in mind for future themes and locations, and we will just have to wait and see what future RRRA members decide,” Naqvi said.
– Photo by Trevor Swann
