The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society held the 48th annual Restoration Ball Saturday night, raising an estimated $5,000 for the Heart of the Grounds Campaign, a capital campaign for the restoration of the Rotunda.
The Society's Restoration Ball Committee sold 500 event tickets, each priced at $20. "We ... were a little bit worried about the tent capacity, but it ended up being perfect," Restoration Ball Committee member Kevin Pujanauski said.
The ball featured live music from Special Edition, as well as a speech by University historian Sandy Gilliam, who spoke about the history of the event and importance of student initiative and campaigns to restore the Rotunda. Restoration Ball Chair Shep Ware also delivered a speech concerning the future of the ball.
The ball is a University tradition which dates back to the early 1960s, when it began raising money for the Rotunda. This year its goal also included reintroducing the tradition of restoration to the greater student body.
"Looking forward, we need to maintain the fact that this is a student initiative, and while students don't have the fundraising potential to put up all of the money, we are the students of Mr. Jefferson's University, and it is vital that the alumni in the state are aware of the student interest in the initiative and that it's not just the administration," Ware said.
The Society is working together with the University Guide Service, which raised about $4,000 hosting the Colonnade Ball in February, Ware said. The organizations have co-hosted the Restoration Ball in past years, and those proceeds total about $18,000. Primarily through engagement with alumni and the state, the two groups hope to bring their total of about $27,000 up to $57,773, the price of the Rotunda when it originally was built, Ware said.
Saturday's ball served as a "symbol to alumni, to state government and to the administration that the University community cares about the Rotunda and that they should care too," Pujanauski said, adding the landmark is an important part of Virginia's heritage as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
At the event, Student Council President-elect Dan Morrison carried on with tradition and called the Virginia Reel, a folk line dance dating back to the 17th century. This dance typically is performed every year at the Restoration and Colonnade Balls.
Restoration Ball Committee members emphasized the importance of ongoing support for restoring the iconic Rotunda. Although past restoration efforts have been successful, the recent discovery that the capitals atop the columns are crumbling demonstrated the need for a focused campaign. The need for continued efforts may be compounded by the General Assembly's refusal to allocate any of the $2.59 million requested by the University for the restoration of the Rotunda.
"This is not a one-time event," Ware said. "The capital campaign is going be a multi-year process and this event needs to be a central piece for the student body"
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