By Madison Weber ’23, Staff Writer and Social Media Editor

Campus Ministry held a formal gala for students and the community on Saturday, February 26. Alyson Witt, peer minister, and SGA Campus Ministry Senator was in charge of planning the event. In the end, the event sold over 100 tickets and raised over $1,000 to fund the upcoming service trip to Houston, Texas. 

This event was in Kearney hall and was catered by Fisher Dining, and Fisher alum DJ Jack Laino was playing music on stage. The “dress code” included dresses for women, and a suit or shirt and tie for men. Participants were able to buy tickets during the week at the Campus Ministry Center, or at the door that night. 

According to Witt, the money raised, “will directly go to funding our service trip. This can be applied to transportation, plane tickets, food, our housing, etc. Any extra money we have that is not spent is donated to the places that we serve.”

“The atmosphere was full of community and joy and it was an overall celebration of being together just for the sake of it,” Junior Nursing student and peer minister Maria Robinson said.

Robinsons said she originally, “loved the idea of having a formal party and getting dressed up and going dancing with my friends.” but her favorite part ended up being “seeing all the people who came out to support the fundraiser who aren’t even directly involved in Campus Ministry.” 

This was one of the first events on campus in years that did not require masks– something Robinson said was weird at first, but that, “it was more refreshing than weird to finally be able to see everyone’s faces and feel more like normal.”

For many students, this was the first time they were able to do so openly on campus. With the last nearly two years of the pandemic, many students have been lacking in reasons to get dressed up and go out, “I think students needed an opportunity to take the night off and go out and do something” said Robinson. She referred to “a sense of nostalgia for some of us who recalled our high school formals or proms, and it was a chance for those who lost that opportunity due to Covid to finally get dressed up and go out.”

Witt agreed, saying that “we are at the point in the semester where people needed a break and an enjoyable night to get dressed up and remember that college is not all work and stress.” 

This was the first gala thrown by Campus Ministry at Fisher, but Witt and the Campus Ministry team are already being asked if there will be another one next year. Witt says she hopes that this gala would become “the first of many”. Students can keep up with Campus Ministry by attending mass, checking the weekly ministry minute in your email, and following them on Instagram.