Thursday night, starting at 7:30 p.m., shuttles will line the Set.
However, instead of transporting students to clubs around town, they will travel to Hotel Duval downtown for Florida A&M’s annual Pink Tie Ball. Coordinated by SGA’s Department of Surgeon General, all proceeds from the annual ball will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer research and education foundation.
Jazmin Rucker, surgeon general for SGA, said the event is one of the most important the department hosts year-round.
“We need to bring awareness on campus,” the third-year pre-nursing student from Jacksonville said. “We want to wrap the month up with a bigger event to recognize the cause.”
The ball is always held in October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Rucker said the department wanted the event to be an upscale, but fun atmosphere, with food, a live band, spoken word and a silent auction. At the end of the event, Rucker said a DJ will come in for students who want to dance.
Tickets are $10 per person, and $100 to reserve a table for eight. The total cost to fund the event, sponsored by Student Health Services, is around $4, 250.
Student Body Vice President Troy Harris has attended the ball every year since he was a freshman, because the cause is one so relevant to him and the entire student body.
“I can’t think of one person on campus who hasn’t been affected by breast cancer, so why not fundraise,” Harris said. “We’ve got 14,000 students here, so this is something that can really make a change.”
Naomi Chapman, deputy surgeon general, said the average cost for a night at the club is $10, so students should consider attending the ball a worthwhile investment in a necessary cause.
“This is for us to celebrate life and celebrate survivors,” Chapman said. “You can go to the club year-round, but this is a once-a-year opportunity. It’s going to be such a great atmosphere. People should just come to enjoy the moment.”