Juniors Ring Big at Twin River Casino

The 44th annual Providence College Junior Ring Weekend commenced Nov. 12, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. in St. Dominic Chapel. This year's theme was Reignite the Tradition. Juniors picked up their class rings and congregated in the chapel for Mass celebrated by President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., president of Providence College. Patricia Carroll, Class of 2011 president, addressed the crowd to start the celebration. After Mass, the class proceeded to McPhail's to pick up the newly designed JRW t-shirts. Friday night was Special Events Night, (better known as Club Night), which was held in the Peterson Recreation Center. Students were given either a black or white wristband that designated a specific arrival time, at either 8:15 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. "For Special Events Night, our core decided to go down a bit of a different route than last year," said JRW core chair Katie Gilsenan '11. "We invested a greater portion of our budget in decorations, and hired Perfect Surroundings, an event design company based in Newport, to decorate Peterson like a Miami Beach-style Night Club."  Infamous New York City DJ, rapper, and hip-hop singer Funkmaster Flex provided music. "We decided to go with DJ Funkmaster Flex because we thought he fit much better with the theme of our event," said Gilsenan. "By choosing a top-rate DJ, our class was able to dance all night to songs that everyone knew rather than hear only a few songs that some people would know if we had decided to go with a different type of performer.  Overall, I thought the space looked phenomenal and Perfect Surroundings did an amazing job in transforming Peterson." Events continued into Saturday, with a brunch held in Peterson from 9:30 a.m. until noon. The brunch featured Dunkin' Donuts and custom-made JRW waterbottles were distributed as class favors. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., students began congregating in Peterson once again to line up for buses that would take them to a surprise location for Formal Night. The surprise venue was Twin River's New England Gambling Casino, in Lincoln, R.I. Downtown Fever performed. "We felt that Twin Rivers was perfect since our entire class could be together," said Gilsenan. "It was also a beautiful space. We were so thankful that PC Administration allowed us to use this location.  It was fantastic." Class president Patricia Carroll commented on the weekend. "We were very pleased to see the planning of all the details come to fruition during every aspect of JRW including the Mass, Special Events Night, Brunch, and Formal Night," said Carroll. "It was our goal, as a Core, to highlight the importance of having pride in Providence College and our class as we took time to reflect at this midpoint in our college careers.  We focused on promoting the unity of the Class of 2011 and the common threads that tie us to the Providence College family as we are all Friars for life," said Carroll.   Members of the Class of 2011 expressed their gratitude and applauded the JRW Core for the success of the weekend. "Both nights were so much fun and I thought the performers both nights were great," said Cara Cook '11. Aside from the appreciation, students commended the food served at formal night. "I was a huge fan of the chicken," said Joshua DeSantis '11. "The chicken was delicious and the mashed potatoes really completed the dish. Everyone was so chipper, which easily made JRW the perfect weekend." Kristen Montano '11 agreed. "The layers, moisture, and texture combined to send my taste buds to another world," said Montano. Curtis Williams '11 was astonished the Class of 2011could clean up so well. "I thought everyone looked great all dressed up on formal night," said Williams. "It was just a bunch of beautiful people having a beautiful time at a beautiful casino. Our Class of 2011 here at PC is a great looking class. I would also like to add that Funkmaster Flex was incredible," said Williams. "He just lit the crowd on fire and really rocked Peterson on Club Night." Gilsenan echoed Fr. Shanley's homily about the deeper meaning behind the JRW tradition. "While JRW is supposed to be an incredibly fun weekend, it is also so much more than that," said Gilsenan. "By being on Core, I have learned of how important this tradition is for Providence College. As Father Shanley said at Mass, our rings bond us as an individual class and also connect us with every other class that has come before us. They tie us eternally to Providence and will remind us in the years to come of the enormous place that PC has in all of our hearts. This weekend was truly a celebration of our ties to Providence that will last a lifetime." Although JRW was considered a general success by class members, several students were transported due to excessive alcohol consumption over the weekend.