Social Events

Every semester the Golden Eagle Battalion hosts a formal social event designed to build comraderie and espirit-de-corps among the cadets.  Not only are these events a lot of fun, but they are an excellent training event for cadets to learn the protocol of formal social events in the military.

Dining In

Dining-In serves as a formal military function for cadets and cadre members in order to familiarize themselves with customs and courtesies in a formal setting, but mainly to entertain the battalion.

One cadet is chosen as Mr. Vice, this year Cadet Andrew DeStefano (MSIII), and plays the job of emcee for the evening, telling jokes and making games and competitions between cadets.  If a cadet does not do as Mr. Vice says, they are sent to the grog, or a liquid concoction made up mostly of sweets.

The remainder of the evening is spent watching skits that each MS class has put together (either filmed or live).


Military Ball

The Military Ball serves as another training event for cadets to experience a formal military dining function, but also as a fun-filled night of comraderie and socializing.

The event is attended not only by the Golden Eagle Battalion, also present are the dates of each cadet and cadre, the parents of graduating Seniors, selected University faculty, and a Guest Speaker.



The evening starts out with a Cocktail Hour where cadets are able to socialize with all the guests in a lounge adjoining the Dining Hall, an open bar is available to guests who are of age.  After Cocktail Hour all guests proceed through a receiving line where they are presented to the Senior cadre, the Cadet Battalion Commander, and the Guest Speaker.

The evening begins with an invocation and toasts, along with speeches from the Cadet Battalion Commander and the Professor of Military Science, and is followed by dinner. 



After the formal portion of the evening is over, a sabre arch is done for the graduating Seniors.  The Senior cadets and their dates walk under a Color Guard Saber Arch as a final send-off.  The rest of the evening is marked by entertainment and dancing.