The last thing you would expect to see on the dance floor at Taylor’s Fall 2026 President’s Ball is President Michael Lindsay breaking out in dance.
The President’s Ball is one of the most anticipated events at Taylor University. Organized by the Student Activities Council (SAC), students gather in Euler Atrium, dress up and dance. Due to the large volume of students who go to this event, students get tickets for one of two waves: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
President’s Ball is an event that new and returning students look forward to.
“I had gotten a dress over the summer that I was specifically planning to wear to Prez Ball,” said Lorelai Radaeke, a junior Orphans and Vulnerable Children major at Taylor University.
This year, unlike any other, President Michael Linday and his wife Rebecca joined the students on the dance floor. Lindsay and members of the Presidential Fellows Program broke out in choreography to I Want You Back by NSYNC.
“There's not many events where the president comes and is in the middle of it all,” said Damaris Hernandez, a junior at Taylor University, and SAC member.I think Prez Ball invites that opportunity for students to interact closely with the president and just kind of have fun and experience life on a similar level.”
Hernandez joined SAC during the spring of her freshman year and remained a part of the team over the past two years. This year’s President’s Ball, Hernandez led decoration of the Atrium.
Each year they plan the ball, SAC implements feedback from previous years to improve students’ experience, she said.
Hernandez also mentioned that tickets often get sold out in an hour, and to serve the growing student population, they hold the President’s Ball in two waves.
Radaeke expressed how she wished there was one wave so that all the students could go together.
Despite these frustrations, SAC can not increase this number because of fire hazard and safety rules that they must follow. Each wave can hold 600 students, which allows them to admit people into the President's Ball according to Hernandez.
“I understand as students, you want to go with your friends, so I think the best thing that we can tell students is just to plan ahead whenever they're getting their tickets,” said Hernandez.
Juyong Jung, a senior Computer Science major at Taylor, attended the President’s Ball during his freshman and sophomore years.
This year, he was unable to get tickets due to a busy schedule and a mixup with the ticket release dates.
“I just want to participate in some events, like the school community,” Jung said. “I want to just enjoy, one more time, the school culture before I graduate."
Despite its limitations, seeing students enjoy the President’s Ball makes putting it together worthwhile, SAC members said.
“It's always really fun to see students having fun with their friends and then going crazy whenever President Lindsay comes out,” said Hernandez.
