Prom no longer held at Navy Pier

Prom held at alternative venue beginning in 2017

Credit%3A+Bert+Kauffman+%28Flickr+Creative+Commons%29

Credit: Bert Kauffman (Flickr Creative Commons)

Gillian Dunlop, Editor-in-Chief

For the past decade, LT has hosted prom at Navy Pier. However, due to a scheduling conflict between Navy Pier and another corporate event, prom will no longer be held there starting with the class of 2017.

According to prom coordinator Brian Murray, one of the biggest concerns of trying to find a new venue for prom, in addition to the challenge of finding a large enough space for about 1,100 people, is the potential significant increase in costs.

Potential venues LT is considering are the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry and the Union Station ballroom. The Shedd Aquarium and Planetarium were also discussed, but they are not big enough to accommodate the usual amount of people at prom.

“The other options are going to be more expensive,” Murray said. “In order to pay for this amazing
experience, there may need to be a significant increase in ticket prices and class fundraising.”

It appears, however, that fundraising might not be an easy feat. The most a class has ever raised before was $10,000. The class of 2017 hopes to raise $15,000 so the price of prom tickets can stay where they are at $115 a person, according to class board member Abby Vulich ‘17.

Another option LT is considering in order to cut down on costs is to not hold prom in the city, but rather somewhere in the suburbs, but it appears this proposal is unpopular with the students.

“We definitely want to have it in the city,” Vulich said. “I do not think this is anything we cannot fix.”

Even with new locations being tossed around at class board meetings, the sophomore class is not completely happy with the change.

“We are definitely disappointed, because Navy Pier is unique,” Vulich said.

Murray, too, has picked up on this attitude, stating that “I think anytime there is change the immediate first reaction is negative. We are dealing with the unknown.”

If LT wanted to keep prom at Navy Pier IT would have to change the date of prom, but as per tradition, school officials want to keep it after AP testing and before graduation.

“It has always been LT’s tradition to have it close to graduation,” Murray said. “For students, it is a real culminating event. It is definitely not anti-climatic.”

Murray also noted that although prom will be held at Navy Pier for the class of 2016, it will be on the Friday before graduation instead of the usual Thursday before graduation, due to this corporate event.

However, among all of these changes, the biggest concern of the prom planning board is providing students with the memorable prom they want and deserve, Murray said.