Hundreds of students were wearing headphones lit up in neon colors – some danced while others jumped and shouted. Everyone who spoke to the Tropolitan agreed the Silent Disco was a groovy success.
“I'm rocking with it, and the atmosphere is great,” said Chyane Pierce, a freshman history major from Montgomery, Alabama. “They all in there dancing. They ain't being lame; everybody lit, and I like that.”
It’s a simple concept: everyone is given a pair of headphones, and students can tune in to one of three radio stations. Then, students were free to dance in the Lamar P. Higgins Ballrooms.
One of the radio stations played music that is popular internationally.
“We have different genres that appeal to all of our student body,” said Destyni Peoples, Troy University’s coordinator of student involvement. “We don't want to let any of our students feel like they can't come to certain events because it's directed towards a certain demographic.”
The disco was organized in collaboration with the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Welcome Week Committee and the University Activities Council (UAC).
The event offered free t-shirts, pizza and free admission. To some, the neon headphones were empowering, as they could sing and dance freely.
“The longer you're here at Troy, the more you kind of get locked into your own social group, and Welcome Week is a great way to meet new people and kind of break out of that,” said Zachary Lowery, a sophomore physics major from Troy, Alabama. “I like seeing everyone being comfortable being awkward because I think it helps break off a lot of the shell.”
The disco was originally supposed to be held outside on the main quad. Due to the weather, the location was changed, and the time was pushed back an hour. However, a crowd of students had already gathered, and instead of going home to wait, they mingled.
Sarah Jane Houston is the 2024 Welcome Week director and a junior psychology major from Albany, Georgia. She explained the power Welcome Week has always had to bring people together.
“I've come from out of state; I didn't know a single soul here, and that's where I met a lot of friends and a lot of friends that I'm still friends with today,” Houston said. “Welcome Week was definitely a success, and we're hoping that it only increases from here on out.”
Welcome Week came to an official end last Friday, but students can stay up to date with other UAC events by following them on Instagram @troyuac.
Comments