Written by Taylor Humby. Originally posted February 17th, 2019.
Almost like stepping into another time period, the annual Flappers and Dappers event at Boise State offered students a one-of-a-kind escape to the roaring 1920s. Hosted by the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and planned entirely by students, the event hosted a plethora of casino games, a live swing band, a photo booth, fun prizes and free food.
The casino-like environment is free and open to all students of the university each spring semester and, this year, the Simplot Ballroom hosted the festivities. Enjoying their night among the crowded casino tables and bustling dance floor, students like kinesiology major Sabrina Marsh described the night as a “a fun opportunity and a great Boise State tradition.” Further, Marsh explained her experience after returning to the event for a second year.
“I think this is a great way to get out and meet new people, have some fun (and) get dressed up fancy,” Marsh said. “I go to as many events on campus as I can, just to get out and have fun. I also came last year, and I decided to come back because I like getting dressed up fancy and I love playing poker.”
Media arts major Ryan Eckart echoed Marsh’s praise for the event, describing their fondness with the yearly opportunity to travel back in time for a night.
“Flappers and Dappers is a fun way to meet new people, get out of your comfort zone a little bit and do things that you normally wouldn’t do — that’s why I’m here,” Eckart said.
One of the bigger events planned each semester, Flappers and Dappers brings in around 200-300 students each year.
“It is a chance for people to come in, have fun and escape back to another time,” said Sophie Croome, one of three programming assistants from Student Involvement and Leadership who planned the event.
Croome, along with peer programming assistants Sara Thomas and Luke Pacifici, had been planning the event for months, having the Simplot Ballroom booked with this popular night in mind since February 2018.
While each programming assistant collaborated to bring Flappers and Dappers together, Pacifici was responsible for coordinating the event’s live music. Pacifici described the process to bring music and students together, finally deciding to comprise a band including Boise State students.
“We were looking to get the best we could out of the different vendors that we brought to the event,” Pacifici said. “For example, the band this year was made up of entirely Boise State students and alumni, playing swing-style music. However, in order to get that done, I had to find the students that could play in a band like that, and what type of music that would be good and reflective of that time period.”
Through describing their investment in making sure this event was as successful as possible with the resources they had, Croome explained why events like this are important for Boise State student life.
“Students choose Boise State because of the opportunities that come with that, so we like to present these unique opportunities that students are paying for through their student fees,” Croome said. “To allow them to come out and have a night different from just hanging out in their residence halls is really special, (and) we like to create opportunities for students to experience a totally different world. Not everyone gets to go and have three hours worth of the 1920s, where you can just dance and relax and have fun.”
For those interested in more student-run events like Flappers and Dappers that provide fun escapes from the sometimes-stressful aspects of academic studies, Student Involvement and Leadership will be holding a Grease sing-along as part of their movies series on Feb. 21, and a spring fling with a date announced closer to the end of the spring semester.
Read the article on Arbiter Online.
