The fraternities weren't the only places where students partied this weekend, as Friday night's Unity Bash brought them together for music and dancing as well as charity. The event, which was organized by the International Club, was meant to rally student support for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Students paid $5 to attend the party, and all of the proceeds from the Unity Bash have gone to the Red Cross.
The International Club wanted to keep the operating costs of the event low so as to maximize the donations, according to executive board member Ligaya Tichy. Father David O'Leary offered the use of the Catholic Center for the party, which was co-sponsored by the Catholic Community at Tufts. The club was also able to find a DJ who did not charge for his services.
According to Tichy, the Unity Bash achieved the goal that the club had set: supporting a good cause while also throwing a great party. After to the recent tragedy in New York and Washington DC, the International Club was looking for a way to support the World Trade Center relief effort for its first official event of the year.
Tichy said she was pleased that students recognized the importance of attending the party to support the relief effort. "It's really hard for an organization at Tufts to throw a successful party on campus because a lot of students, especially upperclassmen, probably think that a party like this is going to be lame," she said.
The crowd was mainly freshmen, but many felt that it was still diverse. Sophomore Sarah Sliwa said that the vast ethnic representation was one of the best aspects of the Unity Bash. "It was really nice to go and meet people that I normally wouldn't see on a night out. That's why I was looking forward to going," Sliwa said.
International Club President Eli Levin-Goldstein served as the DJ, and students commented that he did an excellent job of combining various musical genres. The music included reggae, hip-hop, Latin music, house, and trance.
"Everybody's tastes were catered to," sophomore Bobby FitzPatrick said.
FitzPatrick said that the turnout was great and the people were even better. "[The Unity Bash] probably had the most diverse group of people of an party at Tufts," he said.
Beyond supporting the terrorist attack relief effort, the goal of the Unity Bash was to bring together people who supported a common cause. "I was really pleased with the turnout, and we raised a lot of money for the Red Cross," Levin-Goldstein said.
