Geneseo Late Knight teamed up with the Geneseo Pride Alliance to host a Halloween themed Second Chance Prom on Friday Oct. 13. The event offered a fun and welcoming night of dancing, food and entertainment. (Annalee Bainnson/photo editor)
Students were dolled up in eerie vampire costumes, dashing masquerade attire and pristine formal wear at Geneseo’s Second Chance Prom and danced the night away.
Second Chance Prom is an annual campus event that caters to the student body by giving people another opportunity to attend prom and to experience the night on their own terms. The theme for this year’s Second Chance Prom was Halloween, as the event fell on Friday Oct. 13. Many of the students who attended were dressed in costumes, adding even more flair to the dance.
Geneseo Late Knight and the Geneseo Pride Alliance co-hosted the event in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom on Friday Oct. 13th.
“Second Chance Prom is really important for folks on campus because it gives them a second chance to come out to a really special event in their life and be their true selves without fear of judgment, harassment or belittlement,” GLK staff member sophomore Thasfia Chowdhury said.
Even before the event began, participants lined up outside the Union ballroom, eagerly anticipating the festivities that would fill their night.
“My friends are all here and it sounds like it’s going to be a fabulous night,” communication and music double major senior Mandy Fiero said. “And it gave me a reason to wear my cape. So, it’s going to be a really fun night.”
The event coordinators decorated the ballroom according to their Halloween theme and made sure to prepare a plentiful snack table for attendees with goodies like rice crispy treats and veggies with dip.
Prior to the dance, members of the Geneseo Pride Alliance had already expressed their excitement for the night, which has been a staple gathering at Geneseo for years.
“I’m excited to see how many people come, because I think we’ve done a good job with publicity. We’ve had great turnouts in the past,” Pride Alliance treasurer junior Austin Ainsworth said. “It’s a really great atmosphere; people just having fun, dancing with whoever and do whatever they like.”
The value of Second Chance Prom rests in its inclusivity and welcoming promise of a fun time, according to Ainsworth.
“This [event] does a great job of, at the same time as having fun on a Friday night, serving to capture the spirit and the vibe of the LGBTQ+ culture,” Ainsworth said. “It presents a great time to learn about the possibility of going to prom with someone who is the same gender as you or a different gender as you, while at the same time having a fun event for anyone to come to, with anyone they would like.”
Attendees danced, chatted and seemed to enjoy themselves as music filled the ballroom.
“[This event] is lots of fun,” political science major senior Wesley Ebersole said. “It’s crazy— the amount of people, the diversity of people and the decorations are gorgeous.”