A University of Wisconsin committee brought students and campus organizations together Saturday night for a “Harry Potter” inspired Yule Ball hosted in a festively decorated Union South hall.
The second-annual Yule Ball was hosted as a charity event for several Madison-based charities with a focus on improving literacy by asking attending students to donate books, toys and other gifts.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Publications Committee Director Gayle Cottrill said about 350 books and toys were donated Saturday night, a drop from last year’s count of 1,762.
“We’re really happy with how it turned out,” Cottrill said. “We kind of wish more people had donated. It might not have been marketed as well as it could have, but overall we’re really happy with how well it went.”
These donations will go to Madison School District Libraries, Madison School and Community Recreation, Schools of Hope Americorps, the Respite Center, the Reach out and Read Literacy Program and Rainbow Books’ Madison Books to Prisoners Project.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate Publications Committee sold out of the 1,000 free tickets available to UW students several days before the event with about 800 students attending, an increase of about 150 from last year.
In its second year of hosting the event, the committee moved the Ball from Memorial Union to Union South in order to cater to student demand and allow anyone interested in attending the event to come.
Cottrill added the committee also increased their orders for food to ensure the pumpkin pastries, butterbeer and other “Harry Potter” inspired foods lasted throughout the night.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam stopped by for the event, dressed as Hogwarts professor Minerva McGonagall. She complimented students’ formal attire before wishing them good luck on their upcoming finals and added the event was a great non-alcoholic opportunity.
“It’s a great event,” Berquam said. “I wanted to support it and encourage people to still study hard for finals and finish the semester strong.”
The Yule Ball featured performances from the a cappella group Fundamentally Sound and an appearance from Bucky Badger. The Badger Ballroom Dance Team also showcased different routines, from typical ballroom dances to songs from “The Lion King.”
UW senior Sonya Hesse said the event was improved from last year by the change in venue and improvements in decorations. She added overall the event was fun and a good way to bring students together for charities.
“‘Harry Potter’ is a really important cultural phenomenon for our generation,” Hesse said. “So I think the Yule Ball is a great event for students to geek out together.”
According to Cottrill, the committee is interested and looking to host the Yule Ball again next year, turning the event into an annual Publications Committee tradition.
“Last year it was totally unexpected how well students received it,” Cottrill said. “We planned for a small event that turned out really big. … We wanted to make sure it remained a ‘Harry Potter’-themed, charity inspired event.”
