Hosted by the Student Engagement and Leadership, the annual spring dance took place on Friday night, April 3, at the Student Center and featured a “Friday Night Fever” theme selected by students through a vote on Columbia’s Engage app.

“We had a different theme that was similar to disco, but we felt that Friday Night Fever was very like a warm tone and an emphasis on disco music, so that’s what we look for,” Jenna Davis, president of the Student Government Association and a senior fine arts major, said.

The event traces its roots to 1890, when Mary A. Blood, the ball’s namesake, and Ida Morey Riley, the college’s first co-presidents, founded the Columbia School of Oratory.

The dance has been held during the spring semester most years. It was cancelled in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Friday night, the space incorporated orange and pink decorations, a balloon wall and warm lighting surrounding the dance floor. Music from the 1970s dominated the playlist with a few modern hits mixed in. 

“There’s a lot of space so people can be comfortable, but I feel like the music that we have tonight has really made the night so special,” Davis said.

The event featured a best-dressed contest, where the contestants walked a runway to show off their outfits. Some of them wore bell-bottom pants and groovy prints, coupled with boots or chunky-helled shoes. 

Eliot Cymbalist, a first-year fashion design major who participated in the contest, said the event created an inviting atmosphere.

 “I’ve been finding random groups to dance with — overall, a really fun and welcoming environment,” Cymbalist said. 

Hugo Westreich, a sophomore theatre major, said the costumes helped spark conversation. 

“I’ve met a ton of new people just by asking people about their outfits,” Westreich said. “Outfits tell a story.” 

For some students, like transfer student and acting for stage and screen major Emily Ortiz, attending the Blood Ball was a new experience. 

“This is my first year being here and this has been the best party I’ve been to,” Ortiz said. 

Other students like senior dance major Andy Anisco appreciated the outfits people wore to match the Friday Night Fever theme. 

For example, Anisco had on a colored blazer, much like other attendees. Some other students had on flared pants or bright floral colors. 

“I like the vibe, and people came in with really dope costumes,” Anisco said. “I think everyone is having a great time.”

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After weeks of rehearsal since the start of the spring semester, the team presented a series of choreographed routines reflecting a range of styles.

While the Renegades have hosted showcases in previous years, this is the first time their performance has been included in the festival, which centralizes events that were previously scheduled independently throughout the semester.

The festival was organized by the Dance Center in response to growing demand from student groups seeking performance space.

It showcased C2K, Columbia’s Renegades Dance Team and Mi Gente Latin Dance Team. The initiative offered a full week of dance this week and emphasized the art form on Columbia’s campus.

Meredith Sutton, artistic director of the Dance Presenting Series at the Dance Center, said the idea emerged from an increase in requests from student-run dance organizations to use the building for showcases

“We wanted to figure out a way to better support and welcome these dynamic groups into our space,” she told the Chronicle in an email. “It feels like the start of something we hope will continue to grow and evolve as an annual happening.”

Renegades Dance Team co-captain Emma Graveen, a junior music business major, joined the team her first year at Columbia and became a captain her sophomore year. 

Graveen said the idea of having the festival for all of the dance clubs at Columbia is “so smart.” 

She said that since they all try to have an end of the year showcase, that having it all together is not only “more easily marketed” but more “inclusive.” 

“It made it 10 times easier, I feel very prepared and very excited,” said Graveen.

Renegades Dance Team co-captain Elaina Fletcher, a junior performing arts management major, said she also was excited to be a part of the festival for the first time.

“It’s really nice that they’re giving all the dance clubs an opportunity to perform on the stage, because usually it’s super booked with other performances and hard to get, so it was really nice to have the opportunity,” she said.

Fletcher also pointed out how the festival is beneficial for the student-run dance clubs because they get to display the variety of dance styles they all use.

 “I think specifically it’s really nice that it’s a festival just for the dance clubs, obviously dance majors get opportunities to perform themselves, but this is really a good opportunity to highlight all the dance clubs,” she said.

The showcase marked a milestone for first-year film and television major Tallie Olmos, who is in her first semester with the team and contributed one of the featured choreographed pieces. Her work centered on the theme of friendship.

“It’s more storytelling, it’s about friendship and helping your friends and how people help you when you’re down, that was my first time choreographing too, so I’m gonna remember that.”

Her emphasis on storytelling and connection mirrors the festival’s broader purpose.

“It’s a vital form of expression, storytelling, and community building. It creates space for students to share their identities, perspectives, and lived experiences in ways that extend beyond the classroom,” Sutton said. “When dance is visible and celebrated, it fosters a more vibrant, inclusive campus culture, valuing creativity, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas.”

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Amelia Baird

The Mi Gente Showcase ends in jubilation with students hailing from all over Latin America representing their country at the Dance Center of the 1306 S. Michigan Ave. building on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

With flags waving and protest signs held high, Mi Gente dancers filled the Dance Center stage with movement and message, blending Latin American dance traditions with a call for immigrant rights.

Mi Gente, Columbia’s Latin American dance club, held a showcase as a part of the ongoing Festival of Dance Clubs presented by the Dance Center.

The performance followed the story of the narrator’s grandmother learning various dances and to embrace Latin American culture throughout her journey from Puerto Rico to Chicago. The group performed styles such as samba and tango, aligning with the stages of travel and self discovery. 

SOC representative Kameron Murray explained that the narration was meant to highlight the family values present in Latin American cultures.

“We needed something that would actually resonate with an audience more than just having a bunch of dance numbers that might not get to certain other people,” the junior English major said. “It helps to connect this to the real world.”

President of Mi Gente, Leslie Torres, said that many members of the group were looking forward to the performance because the storyline highlighted an array of cultures and Latin American music.

“We want to bring more genres or more opportunities for people to dance, because a lot of the dancers have never done genres like this,” Torres said.

She said the showcase also made her reflect on how to represent all types of Latin American music and dances going forward.  

First-year graphic design major Alex Otto said that since joining Mi Gente, she’s enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere. 

“They take people from all different cultures and opportunities and just to have fun and dance,” Otto said. “Most of the people that I’ve met through this are going to be friends of mine later on.”

First-year theatre arts production and practice major Liliana Napoles Carrera also said that the club offers a sense of openness.

“I’ve been to every single class, it’s so much fun,” she said. “Everybody is welcome, so even if you’re a beginner, you can start from the bottom and start fresh.”

At the end of the showcase, the dancers held up protest signs with slogans like “Abolish ICE Now!” and “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” as they performed a final group number.

The celebration of the diversity of Latin American cultures resonated with members of Mi Gente.

“I performed the show for my family,” said Napoles Carrera. “My dad is an immigrant, so he got to be here and just see the show.” 

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The college shared fundraising totals tied to major events in the past, including more than $640,000 raised at its December 2024 Persistence Gala, an annual fundraiser for student scholarships that had been planned for this spring but was postponed due to the investiture.

Student Government Association Executive Vice President Amelia Lutz said she understands the decision but emphasized the importance of transparency with students.

“That starts with at the very least explaining their reasoning behind the decisions they make to the student body when the information behind the decision isn’t confidential,” Lutz said.

The college invited past gala supporters to the March 5 investiture recognizing President and CEO Shantay Bolton as the college’s 11th president. The event program included information about the Renaissance Innovation for Student Excellence Fund, or RISE Fund, a discretionary fundraising initiative tied to Bolton’s “Renaissance Rising” strategic plan.

College officials said the decision not to disclose how much was raised reflects how the fund is structured. 

“The RISE Fund is different in that it’s an ongoing fundraising effort, not a singular fundraising event. This means that fundraising for the RISE Fund started before the investiture and will continue beyond the investiture,” Aubrie Willaert, vice president for development and alumni engagement, told the Chronicle in an email. 

Willaert, who was the executive director of advancement and alumni relations for the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, joined the college in January.

“Announcing fundraising goals or totals tied to ongoing efforts isn’t a common practice. This is because, by their very nature, they aren’t built to make a big newsworthy splash, but to encourage sustained and ongoing support,” Willaert said.

The college has said it may release figures when doing so advances fundraising goals. Lambrini Lukidis, associate vice president of strategic communications and external relations, told the Chronicle before the investiture that the college would share financial progress “when it can be beneficial to the overall fund goals. For example, to help build momentum or to share a significant gift made.”

At the investiture, Bolton announced that the annual Darkroom benefit auction at the Museum of Contemporary Photography raised over $435,000, making it the most successful fundraising in the history of the event.

The investiture occurred as the college addresses its 20-year enrollment low and $40 million deficit.

In response to the deficit, the college underwent major restructuring and laid off 48 full-time faculty members in 2025. This week, the college laid off three senior administrators, including former interim president and CEO Jerry Tarrer, as the Chronicle previously reported.

The college did not hold its annual persistence gala this academic year. The gala raises funds to support Persistence Scholarships, which are awarded to students who face financial challenges that put them at risk of not finishing college. 

College officials said the decision to pause the annual fundraising event this academic year is part of a broader effort to restructure philanthropic strategy under Bolton’s administration, which created the RISE Fund. 

Bolton promoted the fund at the State of the College address in October after announcing that the deficit had grown to $40 million.

At the end of her speech, underscored by the song “Rise Up” by Andra Day, Bolton urged faculty, staff and administrators to put on a blue “Renaissance Rising” bracelet that had been distributed before the event. The music continued to play as Bolton spoke, and a QR code linked to the RISE Fund donation page was projected behind her.  

Bolton made no such appeal during the investiture ceremony. The gala was originally planned for the evening of the investiture but was cancelled. 

According to the donation page on Columbia’s Development and Alumni Relations website, the RISE Fund supports “tuition scholarships and innovative academic programs; career-defining internship opportunities and competitions; or critical student needs, including mental health and emergency support,” allowing students to focus on “creativity, discovery, and innovation.”

That description has been revised since the Chronicle last reviewed the page on Feb. 27.

At that time, the fund was described as supporting initiatives “at the intersection of art, AI, and emerging technologies,” as well as faculty and student research, industry partnerships and targeted scholarships.

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The early renewal underscores the show’s rapid breakout, with “The Chair Company” quickly gaining traction beyond its niche appeal. For Emmy-winner Robinson, the series represents a step beyond “I Think You Should Leave,” expanding his style into a longer, more sustained story.

Hiding from coworkers under his desk and later sitting in his car in episode one, disgruntled and listening to Elliott Smith, Ron Trosper is consumed by embarrassment and frustration. In Robinson and Zach Kanin’s latest HBO comedy, that humiliation is only the beginning.

Ron, a lead manager at his company, begins to unravel after he falls from a broken chair in front of his bosses and colleagues. What seems like a fleeting embarrassment quickly becomes an all-consuming obsession, as he neglects his family and work responsibilities to track down anyone he believes is responsible.

After demanding that a customer service representative connect him with the chair’s manufacturer to issue an apology and announce a recall, Ron is ambushed in a workplace parking lot. A man knocks him unconscious and warns him to stop investigating the chair company.

Robinson and Kanin are best known as co-creators and writers on “I Think You Should Leave,” the sketch show that established Robinson as a distinctly strange voice in comedy today. “The Chair Company” feels like a natural escalation from the spazzy tone of “I Think You Should Leave,” but this time with a full narrative approach.

The comedy-thriller is shot like a serious drama with a dark color palette and sophisticated cinematography that’s in complete contrast with the show’s satirical and extremely committed-to-the-bit writing. Throughout the constant chaos, over the top delivery, yet serious mood, the viewer becomes involuntarily invested in the storyline to the point where we almost forget that it’s about a broken chair.

The show’s tension between form and content occupies similar territory to Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal.” It’s deadpan and completely straight-faced, using one man’s unraveling as a lens for something larger about shame and paranoia. However, the energy is wilder than Fielder, bringing a physical chaos to Ron that sits somewhere closer to the full-body slapstick humor of Adult Swim star, Eric Andre.

“The Chair Company” merges drama with tomfoolery and absurdity in a way that compels audiences. It’s not trying to be the funniest thing you’ve ever seen but it is a piece of media with a distinct style, strong visual identity and unexpectedly engaging premise. This show proves that not every plot has to be so profound. In fact, if done right, a story based around a broken chair is enough to land an HBO series. 

“The Chair Company” is streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV and Prime Video. 

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The layoffs included former Interim President Jerry Tarrer, Associate Vice President of Budget, Planning, and Analysis Jeffrey Reuter and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Civic Engagement Laurent Pernot.

But dismissing these senior administrators does not equate to financial accountability.

The leadership layoffs were not made public by the college. Most people found out about them through the Chronicle’s reporting. That silence leaves the campus community without the information needed to judge whether these cuts meaningfully address the deficit.

The deficit is substantial. Reducing leadership positions before cutting academic programs signals an effort to prioritize students. As Student Government Association President Jenna Davis told the Chronicle, “I hope this decision was made with student success in mind.”

But intent is not enough.

Students, faculty and staff do not need personnel details. They need numbers: how much money these cuts will save, how those savings compare to the deficit and what comes next if they fall short.

The entire college community has watched enrollment decline over the past few years, and so far only staff and faculty positions and academic programs have been cut. 

Interim provost Suzanne McBride has made clear that additional faculty cuts remain possible if enrollment does not improve.

Everyone at the college, including students, deserve to understand the full picture of the school.

We need to see a reorganization plan, and everyone impacted needs to know who will absorb the responsibilities when positions are eliminated.

The individuals laid off this week gave years of service to the college, and that is worth acknowledging. So is the difficulty of the moment Columbia is currently in. Everyone deserves to have an understanding of how the college will move forward from here.

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“We are actually tracking and planning for well more than 4,000 students, and we have slightly less than 4,000 students right now,” Interim Provost Suzanne McBride said. “We’re definitely planning on a bigger freshman entering class for this fall than last fall.”

McBride made the remarks Tuesday, March 31, during a Student Government Association “Hi-Tea” forum, where she fielded questions about academics, resources and the college’s future.

She did not offer an explanation for how the college would achieve its enrollment goals.

On Wednesday, April 1, the college announced that a months-long national search for provost had failed after inviting three finalists to campus in March.

McBride will continue to serve in the role through the 2026–2027 academic year.

McBride, a professor of journalism, has been at Columbia since 2005 and has served as interim provost and senior vice president since June 3. The provost presides over all academic matters as the second-highest ranking administrator at the college. 

This is the second “Hi-Tea” event hosted by SGA this year. The previous one was with President and CEO Shantay Bolton last fall as part of her efforts to facilitate an open dialogue between students and campus leadership, the Chronicle previously reported. 

Around 20 students were at the forum held at the Hive on March 31.

“The best information we can get at any moment about anything is directly from students,” said McBride. “Just the fact that students can clearly identify the problem and even at times offer suggestions – I think it’s fabulous.” 

Jenna Davis, president of Student Government Association and moderator of the event, said SGA invited the provost because the organization had fielded a lot of academic-based questions.

“So that’s why we brought the interim provost to get those questions answered,” said Davis, a senior fine arts major.

McBride felt that she was “empowered” by Bolton’s leadership, and it had motivated her to engage with students on a more frequent level. 

“An institution that isn’t actively engaged with students isn’t going to be as good of an institution as it can be,” she said. 

McBride said she wants to be careful about how tuition dollars are spent. 

Columbia has raised tuition by 10% for first-year students and 5% for continuing students this school year. Tuition was also raised by 10% in 2022 and another 5% in 2023, as the Chronicle previously reported.  

“We need to look at how we can figure out a way to put even more of your hard-earned tuition dollars into frontline work,” she said.

Throughout the discussion, McBride emphasized better support for students and their programs, as well as the need for stronger communication between students and faculty.

“You all are the reason we’re here,” she added. “I know sometimes we do things that don’t make you super happy, but as much as we can, we need to be very intentional about what we’re doing and really think about your experience.” 

Michael Kowalkowski, SGA vice president of finance, said he was glad McBride took the opportunity to have an open discussion with the student body.  

“We’ve had many discussions regarding courses and academics within SGA,” said Kowalkowski, a junior fine arts major. “A few things discussed during Hi-Tea were ideas and plans, so I’m interested to see how they will come into play.”  

Throughout the event, McBride took notes regarding each student’s concerns and said that she plans on following up with the appropriate faculty members in order to address them. 

“The way you fix problems and solve things is by working collectively,” said McBride. “It takes all of us to make this place what it needs to be.”

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