Editorial: The tradition of the Ball

This Friday, the collective undergraduate class governments will host the Orange and Black Ball, a dance with live music that will be open to the entire student body. As reported on Tuesday in the ‘Prince,’ a similar event had been held — though not by the class governments — with widespread popularity from the late 1920s through the late 1960s; this week’s ball is an attempt to recapture the success of the earlier tradition. Some, however, have suggested that the Orange and Black Ball is unlikely to be particularly enjoyable for students who attend. We disagree; though we certainly acknowledge that — as with almost any event held on campus — it is unlikely that no improvements whatsoever could be made to the event as currently planned, we believe that pessimism about the event, at least at this stage, is unwarranted, and we support the class governments’ decision to hold the ball.

Traditions contribute to the strength of the Princeton community. Princeton’s social life is especially driven by tradition; it is difficult to imagine the University without its eating clubs, for example — a social system unique to Princeton that influences practically every student’s time on campus. Furthermore, traditions need not date back to the earliest days of the University to make an important contribution to campus life: the residential college system, although criticized by some, is widely seen as an important part of the Princeton social environment, even though it was only introduced relatively recently. Campus officials, including class officers, should be supporting campus traditions in general and introducing new ones when an opportunity arises.

As a prospective tradition, the Orange and Black Ball has something substantial to contribute to our campus community. At the ball, students will spend time together in a social setting where there are no boundaries to interaction — there will be no passes and no barriers between classes. Admittedly, part of the appeal of the Princeton social system is its ability to separate people into different groups. The eating clubs break up the larger campus population into smaller, more manageable communities. Still, this tendency toward divisions within the community is well complemented by the existence of a major social event where all of those divisions fall away, where people who normally do not spend time together socially will have the opportunity to do so. Princeton is a small place; an event to make Princeton feel bigger and more inclusive for one night is the kind of event we ought to be having.

Of course, it remains to be seen if the USG has successfully worked out the particulars of the Orange and Black Ball. Creating a social environment that most of the students on campus can enjoy is a difficult task; until Friday, it will be impossible to know if the USG has succeeded. Regardless, the Editorial Board endorses the idea of a campus-wide social event like the Orange and Black Ball, even if the particulars of logistics and organization are not handled perfectly in its first incarnation. Princeton needs a new tradition for the school year: a party where students can spend time together as one community. We should not have to wait until Reunions to come together as Princetonians.