CLAIM: Prom ticket prices can be lowered.

BACKGROUND: Student Senate presidential candidates Alma Bhandary-Naryanan and Toe Collins have announced that they plan to lower prices of prom tickets if elected. On Saturday, May 17, Collins uploaded a video explaining how they would lower ticket prices through additional fundraising

RATING: Somewhat true.

EXPLANATION: A lower prom ticket price is possible, but would take thousands of dollars in extra fundraising to achieve.

“Prom tickets are contingent upon our costs for the venue, food, DJ, [and] decorations. We have always tried to keep dance tickets as low as possible,” Melanie Gibbens said. “The ticket price pays for the dance.”

On Saturday, May 17, Collins asserted via Instagram that the fundraising would be feasible because this year’s Student Senate hunger drive was able to raise more money than it would cost to lower the ticket price of prom by $5.00. However, it is important to note that these are vastly different fundraising scenarios, so the numbers made by one Student Senate fundraiser cannot necessarily project how much money a different Student Senate event will raise.

So, because Prom is almost entirely within Student Senate’s jurisdiction, lowering prom prices is possible, but the extent to which the ticket cost goes down is contingent on the groups’ ability to raise the necessary funds.