Leadership and Tam administration have announced that the October 26 homecoming dance will include a semi-formal dress code, the addition of a seating area and food and increased security.

The security will be similar to that of prom – designed to provide more support to chaperones and ensure a safe environment. Although the dance will be semi-formal, tickets will be sold at a group rate to students who buy tickets in bulk to encourage a no-date atmosphere.

“We’re changing the set-up, offering a way for people to get out of the dance area,” math teacher and Leadership advisor Ryan Fedoroff said. “We might have some other activities like a photo booth and just kind of mix it up a little bit more, [instead of] the focus being […]the dancing.”

By adding other activities, leadership and administration hope to draw more students to the dance.

These changes are mostly a response to inappropriate behavior at last year’s dance, such as drinking and suggestive dancing. Leadership hopes to minimize these problems.

“I think that changing any type of culture is going to take time so we’re not expecting it to fix everything 100 percent,” Fedoroff said.

Some students are unsure about the changes.

“I think a lot of kids were not really open to a change in dances,” senior and Leadership member April Anderson said. “But at the rate that our homecoming was going, we couldn’t continue. I think if we put [in] enough time and enough people go [everyone] will be really pleased with it afterwards.”

A few students opposed the change to semi-formal attire.

“[I feel like] girls will be wearing tight/short dresses that are more [inappropriate] than shorts which are what majority of the girls wore last year,” junior Tatum Robach said.

Other students were unsure about the changes to the dance.

“I think it will change the idea behind homecoming,” junior Quinn Civik said. “Semi-formal could either make it a lot more fun or just boring.”

However, many students see the new additions as a great way to add to the homecoming experience.

“Having it semi-formal will be really fun,” sophomore Ali Merkl said. “I think the food and seating sounds like it will be a good addition.”

Leadership and administration hope the event will be a fun experience for everyone.

“We’re just hoping that it’s all positive,” Fedoroff said. “We’re not [changing] any of the normal stuff, nothing is being taken away, we’re just trying to add more.”