Students Learn Table Manners at the Fourth Annual Etiquette Dinner
Devin Martin
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Diversions
|
Put on by the Alumni and Public Relations Committee and hosted by William Thompson, the Etiquette Dinner was also a learning center for the basics of etiquette.
"We knew it was a need for students," Thompson said, "It's actually a need for probably everybody at some point in time, especially if they want to advance their career."
Thompson also said that the etiquette dinner is there "so that [students] can stay connected and understand that Alumni Relations is there, that Career Services is there, [and] that Student Life is always supporting them."
Each student, wearing business formal attire and having submitted their RSVP, was given a nametag and allowed to mix and mingle with the other dinner guests. At each table sat a faculty member who acted as the host of the table. Among these hosts were prominent members of staff such as Colonel Fred Cone and Assistant Dean of Aviation Sean Jeralds.
The guest of honor for the evening, introduced by Mr. Thompson, was Mrs. Hazel Bowman.
Mrs. Bowman, who has been a guest speaker for the Etiquette Dinner as long as the campus has been running the event, quickly started her curriculum with nametag and sitting etiquette. Guests were taught how to introduce themselves, how to introduce others, who the host of the table was, and whose lead one was supposed to follow at the table. Mrs. Bowman also shared interesting, often embarrassing, stories about each principle of etiquette.
Important at this dinner, as at any, was the food itself. Catered by Chartwells Educational Dining Services, the dinner was served in five spectacular courses.
First, was a course of baked Brie served with apples as an appetizer; it was then that the guests were taught which of the silverware pieces they were supposed to use during the dinner.
The guests were invited to talk, joke, and get to know one another while Mrs. Bowman continued to instruct on subjects such as what to do if you regurgitate at the table and the procedure for cell phones.
Dinner continued with a small salad, French onion soup, a beef, chicken, or vegetarian entrée with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus, and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert.
Following the dinner, Mrs. Bowman stayed behind to answer any number of questions students and faculty members might have and was presented with a bouquet of flowers as a gift and thanks for her time.
Mrs. Bowman writes for [http://prescottweddings.com] as an etiquette columnist under the pseudonym Ms. SOS (Save Our Sanity), and can be contacted at [hazel@hazellbowman.com].
Be the first to comment on this story