Newly-elected Queen Cassie Olin and King Rob Carroll will lead the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Fifth Annual Mardi Gras Ball Thursday, Feb. 15 in the SUB ballroom, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Following a run-off online election Feb. 7, voters chose Joseph Beard, a sophomore aviation major from Vicksburg, Miss., as the 2007 College of Business Administration Mardi Gras Court Beau.

Andrew Smith won the CBA Student Government Association senator position.

Olin, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a Monroe native and a graduate of Ouachita Christian School. While maintaining a 3.4 grade point average, she is also a member of the ULM Cheerleaders, the Hawkseekers, Mortar Board, Homecoming Court, and Kappa Delta sorority.

Carroll, a Pittsburgh, Pa. native, is also a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He maintains a 3.9 grade point average while being the SGA president, a member of Who’s Who, the president of Mortar Board, and a musician.

The Mardi Gras Ball festivities, sponsored by the SGA, will open with a jazz ensemble and light buffet at 7:30 p.m. The coronation ceremony will begin about 9 p.m. President and Mrs. Cofer will perform the honors.

A standing buffet will be served following the presentation. Radio DJ T-Lay from "100.1 Da Beat" will oversee the music until 1 a.m. A cash bar will be provided.

Men are required to wear a tux/suit and tie, and ladies need formal attire. Everyone needs a mask, and students are encouraged to be artistic and creative. The SGA will hand out simple black masks at the door.

Currently, 30 tickets for ULM students with ID remain available in the Student Center on a first come, first serve basis. All attendees must be 18 and older.

For more information, please call 318-342-3485, or contact Ashley N. Aucoin, mistress of Mardi Gras Ball, at aucoinan@tribe.ulm.edu.