There are several parties that are held for students throughout the school year during which they may get together and socialize with one another.
There are many types of these parties with different types of music and themes to entertain the students, but there is one on-campus event that stands out from the rest: the Annual Semi-Formal.
The D.P. Culp Center Ballroom was filled with balloons, decorations and candlelit tables on Saturday, as East Tennessee State University's Black Affairs Association held its Annual Semi-Formal Dance entitled "An Evening of Elegance."
"It was truly a night of elegance full of fun, food and many different styles of fashion," said junior Donte Brabson.
The semi-dormal is a free event held every spring semester on the ETSU campus. Area colleges and universities are also invited to attend.
Students enjoyed the evening by dressing up and dancing.
"I'm having a lot of fun!" said freshman Destiny Young.
The music for the night was provided by one of Johnson City's most popular disk jockeys, DJ Blaq.
"I love doing these events because it's always guaranteed to be a different mixture of people instead of seeing just one specific group of people," said Blaq.
Showing the students a great time is one of the focuses of the Black Affairs Association, but bringing diversity to the campus is their main goal.
"This event was put together to in order to give students the chance to meet other students of different culture and ethnicities here on campus through music and dancing," said Chelsea Chapman, president of Black Affairs.
With this purpose in mind, Black Affairs aims to make a distinction between the semi-formal and any other party or event.
"We try to bring all cultures of people together to come out and have fun," said Brabson. "It also makes a special night and time to the ones who have not had the experience or chance to go to a Semi-Formal event."
Black Affairs plans to continue to bring diversity to the campus and to bring everyone closer together with more events lined up for the rest of the month.
Upcoming events include: "The 3M's Exhibit Museum and Lecture" by Bertha McNeal, which will be held on Feb. 20 in the D.P. Culp Center Ballroom. The Exhibit will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and the lecture starts at 4 p.m.
"The Fusion: Multicultural Showcase" will be held on Feb. 25 in the D.P. Culp Center Auditorium at 7 p.m.
The Diva Tribute: Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Whitney Houston will be held on Feb. 28 in the D.P. Culp Center Auditorium at 7 p.m.
All events are free and the Black Affairs Association welcomes and encourages everyone to attend these events.
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