Cash crunch factor in prom relocation

Zac Estrada Rosales
News Editor

Prom season is still months away, but there are recent developments on that front. Senior Class President Karl Sandrich said that the 2008 prom has been moved from its usual post at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree resort to the exhibit building at Earl Warren Showgrounds.

The change in location has prompted a change in date as well. While Santa Barbara High School has in recent years held its prom over the Memorial Day weekend, this year’s will take place on June 7, the Saturday prior to the graduation ceremony.

ASB and the DoubleTree had trouble reaching an agreement about noise and price concerns. “We felt that the DoubleTree was a bad fit. They were charging $32,000 and most of that for food that in years past was rarely eaten,” said Sandrich.

He points out that the DoubleTree’s policy on noise levels posed problems for the dance itself. “We found out that when dances were held there in the past few people danced because no one could really hear the music,” he said.

The hotel’s management also required the dance end by 11 p.m. At Earl Warren, the dance will now end at midnight.

The biggest benefit to the dance’s change in venue, according to Sandrich, is that the room at the showgrounds will be significantly cheaper. “Now we have more than $25,000 to spend on things such as decorations so we can have a really loud dance,” said Sandrich.

However the largest hurdle to overcome in prom planning for ASB was the lack of funds that burden this year’s senior class. “We have raised a large sum of money, but we still have a way to go before we reach our goal,” said Sandrich.

Money for the senior class has come from the sales of senior shirts and money from the student store, as well as the raffling off of a parking space in the senior lot and fundraising letters students were asked to send off to friends and relatives. “We’re still working with our current fundraisers,” he said. “If necessary we will explore other ideas.”

ASB President Jackie Zupsic said students have nothing to fear about the state of their event. “No one should think that Earl Warren is going to be super lame,” she said. “Prom is going to be awesome.”