Ball gowns, suits and masks will abound in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union Friday night during the first American Institute of Architecture Students’ “Beyond the Mask Ball.”

Jill Bills, AIAS member in charge of ticket sales, says students will be greeted at the door with a complementary glass of wine if they are of legal age. If they are under 21 years old, there will be sparkling cider available.

Hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and music will also be provided.

“[The ball] is a chance to show off creativity with masks and costumes,” Bills says. Door prizes and prizes for the best costume and mask will also be given to students.

Audrey Udelhofen, president of AIAS and senior in architecture, says the College of Design has held costume parties in the past. This year the format of the event has changed to a costume ball and will be open to all students, not just design majors.

“This event was created to have a time where all students could get together and kick back and have fun creating a costume or dressing up with each other,” Udelhofen says. “Other schools that do this event usually limit it to the college for design, but we thought that everyone should have an opportunity.”

The masquerade theme was chosen because formal attire with a mask can make students more comfortable than costume themes used in the past by the College of Design, she says.

Bills, senior in architecture, says the move from restricting admission to allowing nonmajors to attend as well should become an annual change.

“Hopefully [the ball] will involve more people and start a good tradition,” she says.

Other colleges that have held masquerade balls have raised $4,000 to $5,000 in the past, Udelhofen says.

AIAS is simply hoping to break even after the evening’s festivities, she says.

Clayton Aronson, AIAS member, says the organization has sold 130 tickets to date. He says AIAS hopes to sell around 200 before Friday’s ball.

“One hundred thirty [tickets] is enough to have a good party,” says Aronson, senior in architecture.

If AIAS raises extra money, it will be put in the general fund and most likely be used to send members to the National Forum in Chicago this December, Bills says.

Udelhofen says students attending the ball should expect to hear a mix of different music.

“We are going to have an arrangement of different personalities and age groups, so we hope we have picked enough variety that everyone attending should like [the music],” Udelhofen says.

Tickets will be on sale in the Design Building Atrium this week from noon to 1 p.m., she says. Tickets will also be available in the Design Building Reading Room from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.

The cost is $10 for students and $8 for AIAS members who present their membership card. Tickets at the door will cost $15 per person or $25 per couple.

The masquerade ball will start at 8 p.m. and run until midnight. Formal dress or costume is preferred.

If students can’t find a mask amid the many Halloween costumes in stores, homemade masks will be available for purchase at the door.