“Hot girl semester” starts at I Love College dance party

By Jason Mount

Rider invited students to get into the music with the annual I Love College party set to happen Sept. 6 at 10 p.m.

Sophomore musical theater major and Student Entertainment Council (SEC) Traditions Chair Courtney Povero shared some insight on this year’s party.

“This year’s theme is Electric Forest,” Povero said. “Students can expect an environment that makes them feel like they’re at an awesome music festival in the woods.”

The theme intends to channel the feeling of community that happens at big music festivals, said Assistant Director of Campus Life Nicholas Barbati.

“This year will feature a music festival theme that celebrates the decorations, feel, and outfits that students will know from Coachella, Firefly and similar events,” said Barbati. “We’d love for students to create that community atmosphere with great music on our own campus.”

This year’s party intends to be more evolved in appearance than previous years, said Barbati.

“We are excited to change the look of the event to be more dynamic and create a design structure that will change the look and feel of not only past events, but the entire Student Recreation Center,” said Barbati.

Povero elaborated further, adding that a lot of time and effort went into this year’s celebration.

“A lot more planning and decorating went into the look, setup, and theme,” she explained. “This year we wanted to be super specific with the theme compared to past years.”

She hopes students will attend the event to have a good time with existing and new friendships alike.

“I Love College is our biggest on-campus party of the year, where students from all years can come and enjoy a party put on just for them,” Povero said. “It’s a great event to meet new people and party.”

Each year, the SEC intends to bring together Rider’s student body and celebrate the beginning of the school year through music, dancing and prize giveaways, Barbati said.

“The Student Entertainment Council will be giving away a lot of items to attendees and will be announcing this year’s Fall Concert performer at midnight,” Barbati shared.

While the main priority of I Love College is to have a good time, Barbati believes there are other benefits to throwing a party at the beginning of the year.

“It is so important to bring our community together to not only celebrate the start of a great new school year but also dance away the stress of the first week of classes,” Barbati shared. “New students will also have a great opportunity to meet lifelong friends through music, which really does make people come together.”

Povero agreed, saying that the party brings the whole campus together in a positive way, and gives students the chance to immerse themselves in the party’s theme.

“I think students will like the theme a lot as it gives them the opportunity to wear their favorite festival outfits and just have fun,” Povero said.

Barbati believes that students will enjoy the many party elements that the SEC used to create I Love College.

“Students will love the new layout of the room,” Barbati said. “The great music and dancing and the interactive elements that will definitely make this party one to remember.”