Students stood shoulder-to-shoulder laced in suds. They moved in sync to V.I.C.'s "Wobble" trying not to slip on the soap covered tarp beneath their feet. A pillar stood in the corner of a 30-by-30 foot inflatable tub pumping foam around students as they dance in unison.
The Residence Hall Association hosted its first ever foam party in the Noyer Bowl Tuesday evening. Two hundred students attended the second event of the annual Rock the Halls Week.
This is the first year RHA was allowed to host a foam party on campus.
"We have been trying for years to get the permission from the university," Nicole Winters, activities director of RHA, said. "We had to find the best foam provider in our area, and we finally found Record-A-Hit from Chicago."
Record-A-Hit had a problem keeping the foam in the pit because of the wind. Gusts of wind swept through the area, picking up the foam and sending it rolling on the ground like tumbleweed, slowly disintegrating as it moved.
RHA members and a Record-A-Hit attendant tried their best to keep the foam inside the pit by pumping more soap into the foam machine. Their efforts kept the foam at ankle height with a large clump of suds in one corner.
"The wind proved difficult to keep the tub filled up, but it didn't keep people from coming and having a good time," Winters said.
Students had to swipe their card and sign a waiver before they could enter the foam pit.
"Oh my god, am I going to die?" one student asked as she printed her name at the top of the form.
At the beginning of the night small clusters of students wandered up to the pit and watched from the outside, waiting for others to take the dive. Slowly more and more students showed up and stripped down to their bathing suits.
"I got my friend to come with me, and we expected to stay for 20 minutes," Jessica Appleton, freshman biology major, said. "We ended up staying for two hours and all my fingers and toes are completely pruny."
RHA hosts Rock the Halls Week every year to help integrate freshmen and new students to living on campus. They advertised the foam party by posting flyers around campus and using social media to gain interest. Its goal is to get more freshmen involved and keep their interests here at Ball State.
"It's a really cool concept, and everyone seems to be having a good time, " Appleton said. "It's my first foam party, and I would do it again in a second. I had a great time."
Roughly 200 students attended the foam party, RHA President Ryan Cole said.
"It's better than we expected, and even with the weather problems people still showed up and seemed to be very happy with what we've done," Cole said. "Hopefully we can continue to do this for years to come, because it's a great way for freshmen to meet new people and have a good time."
RHA finishes up its week of events with a dive-in movie 9 p.m. Wednesday at Lewellen Pool, football tailgating 4 p.m. Thursday and snacks at Scheumann Stadium 1-4 p.m. Friday.
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