This year’s Ring Dance will be held off-campus. In addition, the junior class will be having a sit-down dinner before the dance, which has not been done in recent years.

The dance will be held in a ballroom at the Water’s Edge Event Center in Belcamp, and Beechtree Catering will be providing dinner for the attendees. The price for the dance will dig deeper into the class’s treasury than normal, but according to junior class moderator Jessica Limmer, it’s worth the price.

“The price has been raised slightly for the overall cost, but the students will definitely be saving money personally because they won’t have to go out and buy dinner before the dance like in the past,” Limmer said. Right now, the price is going to be around $70.

Junior class President Joe Kyburz and Vice President Parker Day have planned their class’s dance entirely for the students.

“It was among our priorities to make the ring dance the absolute best dance possible,” Kyburz said. “It will be an amazing experience and the class will enjoy it.”

However, not everyone is happy that this year’s Ring Dance strays from the traditional on-campus setting.

“I think it’s tarnishing the value of tradition here,” senior Oladokun Ekundayo said. “The ring is unique to JC and the entire ring experience should be too. If we go somewhere else, it’s no longer unique.”

Senior class President Samantha Wieczynski, however, congratulates the juniors in their effort to change tradition. “If the junior class officers want to take on the huge responsibility of fundraising and organizing an off campus ring dance, then more power to them,” Wieczynski said.

Although some seniors don’t approve of the changes, members of the junior class like the idea of an off-campus dance.

“Having the dance somewhere else adds a level of class and sophistication,” junior Kelly Foulk said. “If it were in the gym,  the same place where people play their sports, Ring wouldn’t feel as special.”

According to junior Mason Lipford,  “[changing Ring Dance] sounds like a new and exciting adventure.”

Tona Rimpel is the Video Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.