A red carpet was rolled out at 7 p.m. and the evening began. Students dressed in formal attire followed the carpet into the festively decorated backyard where an ice sculpture reading “Rao” was on display.

Mount Pleasant junior Nate Sandberg said he made the sculpture himself using “a freezer, a trash bag and a whole lot of cold.”

Lit candles surrounded framed pictures of Rao in the living room where students signed a guest book and a card for Rao.

They also filled out a questionnaire regarding Rao’s past history.

On the back of the questionnaire, students were asked to write poems about Rao, which were read later.

The evening was filled with fun and games as the crowd celebrated in honor of Rao. Contests also took place to crown an honorary Rao and his wife, Ambassador Monica Rao.

Students formed groups and competed in “exercises in eloquence” where they translated phrases such as, “Dang, that stew is meaty,” into highbrow English.

Contest judge Andrew Dost, Frankford junior, said the games were scored based on quickness, confidence, poise and delivery while epitomizing the eloquence of Rao.

Mount Pleasant sophomore Matt Joynt and graduate student Katie Reid were named honorary ambassadors.

“The quintessential cannot be defined in the aforementioned dialects of the English language, therefore it is only proper that we raise three cheers — each symbolizing a letter in the name that signifies the essence of Rao,” Joynt said during the contest.

“Hip-hip hooray. Hip-hip hooray. R-A-O,” the crowd joined in.

Joynt said being named honorary president is something he could never encompass.

“The last 10 minutes have been the most stressful of my entire life,” he said. “I can’t lie, though. I came out to be crowned and also to flaunt my affluence and I definitely think there was some affluent flaunting this evening.”

Musical entertainment also contributed to the evening's festivities.

Sandberg played classical/jazz tunes on piano and CMU alumnus Joel Theile played a short set of songs on acoustic guitar.

“He's not just a middle-aged man. He's not just the president of CMU,” Sandberg said of Rao. “Sure he might like his fancy classical and jazz music, but I'm sure he enjoys a good 80’s tune every now and then.”

Theile received laughs when he performed a parody of John Mayer's “Your Body is a Wonderland” in which he sang, “Your body is a Laundromat. I'll wash my pants.”

“This is a song my voice could really go out on, because I do sing out of my range,” Theile said.

Vassar senior Nick LaPratt concluded the evening by performing a parody of another John Mayer song, “Love Song for No One,” in which he said Rao really wished he could have been at the formal.

Those in attendance said they had a good time.

“To be completely honest, I'm very impressed with the turnout and quality of the formal engagement,” said Grand Rapids graduate student Brenda Brake. “I had a great time.”

Organizers also said the event went well.

“I think it was perfect because everyone fit perfectly under the tarp,” said Glenn King, Mount Pleasant junior.

Sandberg agreed the gathering was a success.

“Even though he didn't show, I think we proved that Rao is more than just a pretty face,” he said.