Flashmob Fiesta

The Student Union is taken by storm...Sandstorm.

One minute you’re eating a nice $10.00 Zoca Cinco de Mayo lunch in the Union; the next you’re surrounding by cascading balloons, techno music, and a dancing frog.

How could this possibly happen? There can only be one answer: the class of 2011.

In between hours spent writing papers, studying for their final finals, and making the last of their college memories, the senior class somehow found time to come together and plan what they hope to be a memorable senior prank: a rave flashmob in the middle of the student union.

The seniors chose to hold their flash rave at 12:30 in the afternoon—a time when the Union is always packed with hungry students. As students poured in, eager to sit down and enjoy the last of their meal plans, chaos erupted in the food court. Sandstorm began to blare over strategically placed speakers, balloons descending upon unsuspecting students, and the seniors simultaneously stood up and began to fist-pump like there was no tomorrow.

“We really just wanted to celebrate the end of all of our hard work over the past four years,” said senior Caitlin Hornsby. “What better way then to do it with balloons and dancing?”

With just a week left before finals, the seniors rounded as many willing participants as they could, via a private Facebook group, and planned the flash mob of techno music and latex balloons. The organizing group had everyone bring a bag of balloons and a dollar (in order to purchase more balloons) and proceeded to blow up every single balloon up on their own.

“There must have been about a thousand balloons,” said freshmen Stephanie Staszko, a witness to the flashmob. “I have been waiting for something like this to happen all year long!”

Many students remember the Jai Ho incident last year. It was a YouTube sensation that spread beyond just the campus of Ole Miss to many universities in the SEC. According to Hornsby, this year’s senior class wanted to be able to follow suit.

“Both the Jai Ho and our flashmob were all in good fun,” said Hornsby, “we just wanted to be able to let loose a little bit.”