Over 300 JCU students attended this year’s homecoming dance at the Great Lakes Science Center Friday, Oct. 1. The $30 tickets — which included food, drinks, transportation and access to the Science Center — quickly sold out. The tickets listed three different transportation times the busses would leave John Carroll: 7:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

On that Friday, students went to the LSC Conference room in the Student Center to check in at the time the ticket listed. There were two lines, one for the students under 21 and one for 21 and over for those who could go to the open bar. The students would then receive a wristband and could enjoy any snacks and drinks in the LSC room.

After everyone was checked in, the students formed a line and piled onto the busses. Once at the Great Lakes Science Center, the students could explore the exhibits before the actual dance started at 9:00 p.m. or enjoy free food and drinks.

“It was my first college homecoming. I liked the location, I thought it was really cute. I enjoyed looking at the science exhibits before we went to the actual dance,” said Anna Mialky ‘24.

As soon as the music started, the students gathered on the dance floor and there was even a special appearance made by Batman who busted out some moves. The music was one of the many highlights of the night.

“My favorite part of the dance was the music. I thought that there were some really cool mashups. My favorite song by far was Mr. Brightside. I had such a good time,” Mialky said.

At the recent SUPB meeting, the executive board asked for pros and cons of the homecoming dance, wanting to make the experience even more exciting next year. Many students agreed that the food was wonderful and the music was fantastic. The only con that students who went to the dance talked about was the limited number of tables and chairs. There were only about five or six smaller round tables with six or seven chairs to each. With over 300 people at the dance, the seating was an issue.

Mialky stated, “I think it’d be great if they were able to pick a location where they could have more people.”

Closer to the end of the night, at around 10:45 p.m., a bus or two was taking students back to campus if they wanted to leave earlier. The next busses wouldn’t arrive until 11:30 p.m. or midnight. While most people stayed throughout the entire night, there were some students who wanted or needed to be back to campus earlier than half past midnight or one in the morning.

Mialky also commented, “I think they should’ve offered more transportation so people that wanted to leave earlier could.”

Overall, the homecoming dance at the Great Lakes Science Center was a success and students, including Mialky, are already excited for next year’s homecoming.

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Aiden Keenan