The Harris Concert Hall traveled back in time to the tunes of Human League and other great ’80s artists last Saturday, Sept. 20. A yearly ritual and one of the most anticipated Harris dance parties, ’80s Harris is always, like, gnarly dude. With at least 200 students in attendance, this year’s ’80s proved to be one of the most entertaining and spectacular weekends of the fall semester to date.
Carly Wakshlag ’15 was an unofficial organizer for the event. Wakshlag said that the first Harris she attended was the ’80s during her first year and since then she has loved the event, leading her to plan this year’s party.
“[My friend] and I were at a concert in Iowa City and I was checking my email that said that ’80s Harris needed a host and we were like, ‘We should host ’80s!’ I thought it was completely unacceptable that nobody had volunteered to host the ’80s so I became proactive in making sure it happened,” Wakshlag said.
Although Wakshlag was not Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) certified, she partnered with friends who wanted to help out and who were TIPS certified. Eventually, two kegs of beer were served to students with 21-plus wristbands. Pizza was the only food that was served, but as Wakshlag pointed out, it ran out quickly.
Wakshlag was surprised by the amount of money that was raised.
“We collected over 250 dollars, which is insane,” she said. “North [campus] definitely donated the most.”
Wakshlag also attributed the success of the event to the music and the fashion that prevailed throughout the 1980s. However, aside from her claim that the “’80s is simply the best decade all around,” the dance also happened early in the year, so students were especially excited and fully embodied the ’80s vibe.
Wakshlag also thanked the other contributors of the event. Along with Wakshlag, Ellen Pinnette ’15, Michael Riegsecker ’15, Mia Ritter ’15, Quinnita Bellows ’15, Fabiola Barral ’15, Austin Morris ’15 and Becca Heller ’16 helped make the event a fruitful experience.
