You may or may not know that Miami University was founded in 1809, but did you know that it’s charter was established in the month of February? History was made in this month nearly 208 years ago! Miami has a long standing tradition of celebrating the chartering of the university, and this coming year will be no exception.
What is the Charter Day Ball?
Charter Day Ball is a tri annual event here at Miami. Traditionally, it’s planned by the students and hosted at Millet. In 1959, for the first time, the University celebrated its Charter Day. In the years since, the tradition continued. In 1976, with the impending bicentennial ball in mind, the University decided to combine the two events. In order for the two to align, it was decided that the ball would be held every three years.
The ball has become very important within the community. After budget cuts in 1982 the ball was almost tossed to the side, Instead, students rallied behind it, and made the changes necessary to keep it alive under the budget constraints. In the years since then, Charter Day Ball has continued to grow. The 2015 ball’s theme was Fire and Ice, and over 3,000 students, faculty, and alumni were in attendance. There were ice sculptures, live musical performances, and a lot of celebration of what we all have in common: Miami.
Charter Day Ball, 2015
Ice Sculpture from 2015’s ball.
Flame thrower from the 2015 ball.
The 2018 Charter Day Ball
February 17th, 2018 is the next Charter Day Ball. Despite being over a year away, planning is well underway! There will be a one year promotional event in Armstrong from 1-4pm today (February 17, 2017). There will be a table in Armstrong outside of Emporium where free coffee and hot chocolate, customized with CDB hot sleeves, will be passed out. Additionally, on the 17th of each month leading up to the ball, there are plans to commemorate the event in some exciting way through social media!
Interested in helping out?
The current Charter Day Ball committee is looking for more members to help plan the event. Applications are live on the HUB under the Charter Day Ball forms tab. There are many committees to be a part of including marketing and PR, finance, fundraising, inclusion, decorations, entertainment, and alumni relation committees. This is a really fun way to get involved and learn a lot about the university and the ball!
You might be wondering the theme for the 2018 ball? For now it’s a secret! A theme reveal is in the works so stay tuned!
*Special thanks to Emily McAlister, Charter Day Ball PR and Marketing Co Chair, for this guest post.
