By Laura Frazier
Friday night, 50 of UP's 688 sophomores loaded into buses and headed downtown to the Crystal Ballroom for the Sophomore Soireé, an event geared towards bonding the sophomore class.
The night kicked off with dinner, meat-free thanks to Lent, followed by dessert, a presentation by inspirational speaker and author Patrick Combs and improvised routines by Comedy Sportz.
Though only 7 percent of the sophomore class attended the $10,000 event, many appreciated and enjoyed the evening.
Event coordinator and Student Activities Director Jeromy Koffler said that only 50 of the 75 students who made online reservations attended.
Though hoping for greater attendance, Koffler was happy with the event.
"Clearly we would have hoped for more, but for the first year it was good strong interest," he said. "Ultimately I think it was a great event that went off well."
Funding for the event was part of an allotment of money the UP task force on student retention divided between Student Activities and Residence Life.
The motive was to unite the sophomore class and boost retention.
For dinner, the students sat at tables according to their major and were joined by UP alumni.
For sophomore Jacob Lampe, it was a good opportunity to meet other engineering majors, and the addition of an UP graduate helped him see where his degree could take him.
"I really enjoyed talking to my alumni," he said. "He had a lot of experience and good stories to tell."
Sophomore Sarah Klemsz appreciated that dinner allowed interaction with both peers and a graduate.
She also liked that dinner introduced her to more people also studying business.
During sophomore year, her classes are getting more specific.
"It was good because we are now getting splintered out of core classes," she said.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation by Patrick Combs, author of "Major in Success" and "Gearing Up," both self-help books.
Combs told students to follow their passions and not to focus all their efforts on a set major unless it is what they really love, Klemsz said.
"He encouraged us all to look inside and see if what you want now will be what you want later," she said.
Klemsz said that Combs got many students thinking and evaluating their major, and that he offered much needed guidance for those who were second guessing their choices.
Combs offered a serious and important message, and the addition of the Comedy Sportz routine kept the night relaxed, according to Klemsz.
"It was a good mix between serious and not serious," she said. "It was lighthearted and meaningful."
With the realization that all other classes had something particular for their students, Lampe thought the soirée was necessary.
"Once I thought about it, I kind of realized that the sophomore class did need something," he said. "We deserved a dinner."
Sophomore Brent Groulik said that for a first-time event, everything flowed smoothly and many were happy that they had attended.
"I think they were expecting more people, but the number of people and type of people made it fun," he said. " I was really glad that I went. It was completely worthwhile."
For such a great event, it was clear that the turnout was low, Klemsz said.
"I wish that there had been more visual things on campus telling people about it," she said. "There probably were a lot more students who could have gone."
Sophomore Wyatt Olsen, who did not attend the event, agrees that the soirée could have been advertised better.
"They needed to say exactly what it is and what was going on," he said. "It's a good idea. It just wasn't marketed well enough."
Groulik thinks that the newness of the event kept people from going.
"It was hard for it being the first year," he said. "There was no history for it, and no one knew what to expect."
Klemsz hopes that future sophomore classes attend this event.
"Everyone is always hesitant to go to the first event of something, but it was really fun and I would encourage people to go," she said.
If Student Activities is granted funding to put on this event next year, Koffler hopes to involve sophomore students directly in the planning process.
At the end of the night, the Sophomore Soirée was a success for Klemsz.
"I wanted to have a good diner and good time and that was exactly what happened."
