Steph Bernabei
Contributing Writer

Crystal Bailey, the director of the Etiquette Institute of Washington, spoke to a room full of eager, soon-to-be graduates on the evening of Oct. 9. She presented the basics of how to “wine, dine, and act fine” throughout various courses.

Over 200 members of the Class of 2014 crowded into the Terrace Room for the Senior Etiquette Dinner. The dinner, hosted by the Career Development Center (CDC) as an installment of their “Life After Bucknell” series, comprised of a cocktail hour followed by multiple courses.

This year’s dinner had an outstanding turnout compared to previous years, with students actively engaging in the presentation throughout the night. During the cocktail portion of the evening, students were free to mingle throughout the room and practice their conversational skills with friends.

Bailey and various other faculty members from the CDC engaged in conversation with the students, giving them personal attention and addressing their questions before the formal presentation.

After everyone sat down, Bailey commenced the presentation, debunking myths about how to properly shake hands, stressing the importance of seasoning your food only after tasting it, and emphasizing how important it is to follow up personally with people you have met.

Bailey projected her demonstration in the front of the room for the students to follow along throughout the soup, salad, main, and dessert courses. During the presentation, she fielded questions from the students. While the talk mostly covered basic etiquette, those who were more experienced were happy to brush up on their skills in a somewhat informal manner with their friends.

After the dinner, the attendees felt more confident in their next steps in the search for a job after graduation.