Collegiate Times

You?ve seen the ads for the Midwinters dance and the decorations in Squires, and you?re probably wondering what Midwinters is and who sponsors the event.

Midwinters is an annual university tradition in the form of a dance held every year for the Virginia Tech population. A theme is chosen, tickets are sold to cover the cost of decorations, and many hardworking hands create scenery and backdrops. Those hardworking hands belong to members of the German Club, a non-Greek fraternal organization whose purpose is to serve the university.

?We started planning in April last year ? [Midwinters] is a 10-month process,? said German Club recruiting chair Randy Hopper. Hopper, a junior economics major, said members come up with ideas and then vote on them, and this year?s theme is ?Tour Through the Orient?.

Hopper also mentioned that the theme for Midwinters is based on the quality of decorations ? German Club members sketch, paint, and construct all of the decorations for Midwinters. ?We like multicultural themes,? said Hopper. Members, friends, and anyone who has wanted to help decorate have been in Squires all week. People are in the ballroom decorating from 8 A.M. to midnight, starting last Sunday and ending tonight, although German Club members hope to finish decorating early.

?Countless hours of organizing go into Midwinters in the weeks leading up to the dance,? said Jordan DeDona, a senior finance major and co-chairman for the event. ?But all of the decorating takes place in Squires this week.? Paul Landers, a senior Mechanical Engineering major, is also a co-chairman for the event.

?We have people designated for materials, publicity, hospitality . . . Landers said. ?Everybody has a role.? Midwinters is open to all students at Virginia Tech. It is not required that you be a member of any organization. ?We believe that Midwinters gives the student body a unique social experience that is not provided by any other group on campus,? said DeDona. ?It is the only dance on campus that is not affiliated with any particular group or class.? Midwinters is traditionally a two-night dance, with Friday night formal dress and Saturday night semi-formal dress. ?This year, we?re trying something new,? Landers said, with just a one night semi-formal dance on Saturday evening. The dance starts at 8:00 P.M. in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom and goes until midnight on Feb. 4. Tickets are five dollars and can be purchased from a German Club member, the UUSA office in Squires, or at the door the night of the dance. Semi-formal attire is a must for this dry event.

Midwinters has been taking place each year since 1892, when the Cadet Dancing Club changed its name to German Club. This is a university tradition that dates back even further than Ring Dance, which became a tradition in 1934. Last year, several hundred people turned out for the first night and the number doubled the following night, on Saturday.

?We had a total of about 1500 that came out last year,? said Landers, who hopes for high turnout this year as well. ?[Midwinters] is a fun outlet from the usual college thing . . . you can go out to dinner, get dressed up and go to a dance and listen to a good band,? said Hopper.

The Mustangs Band will be providing music for the evening, along with DJ Trey.

The German Club is the only organization of its kind to exist in the country. Membership is based on the pillars of the letters in the word German, which stand for Gentleman, Earnestness, Reputation and Responsibility, Manhood, Aim, and Name. German Club started out in 1887 as the Cadet Dancing Club and their philanthropy is the university. ?This is why we strive to serve our school in any way possible,? said Brandon Smith, German Club member and junior electrical engineering major. German Club also plans, participates in, and promotes university activities, such as selling programs at football and basketball games and volunteering at Founders Day, Big Event and Relay for Life. They also plan Gold Rush, a fundraising event for sorority philanthropies, and the Henry Dekker Leadership Conference, which is a free leadership conference, open to any Virginia Tech students, held this year on March 15. Applications can be found on their website at www.vtgc.net/leadership.