Tighter security, higher ticket costs for Senior Week

The Office of Student Activities (OSA) is taking steps to curb student complaints and ticket forgeries ahead of next month's release of Senior Week tickets.

There will also be a greater police presence than in previous years to prevent any problems.

"More police will be in attendance so that people can still wait on line, and the seniors can still have their fun and stay up all night [to wait for tickets]," Programming Board Co-Chair and Senior Class Council member Caroline Postel said.

Tufts University Police Department Captain Mark Keith was unable to give any details on the new security measures, but he said he intends "to speak with [Assistant Director of Student Activities Ed Cabellon] in the near future to discuss ways to improve the process for this year."

Any ticket forgeries for Senior Week events will also be treated with higher penalties this year. "This year, if you're caught with forged tickets, there will be serious consequences, [ranging] from a fine to not walking at graduation," Cabellon said. "The seniors have one more week to follow the rules, we do this for them and there is a lot of work involved for us."

As in past years, ticket sales will take place in "deli style" fashion, where students line up to receive a number and may purchase tickets for remaining available events when their number is called.

But the venue for ticket sales has been moved from Cohen Auditorium to Cousens Gymnasium to accommodate the long line of students that typically wait for hours -- even camping out the night ahead -- before tickets go on sale.

"The problem last year was that when we came out in the morning to hand out numbers, the crowds ran at us as soon as we opened the door," Cabellon said.

"People at the front of the line, who had been waiting the longest, didn't get the first numbers because people at the middle pushed to the front," he said.

While all students eventually received tickets and there were no reported injuries, many students said the process was unfair.

Cabellon said the new location will also be more isolated and allow for a greater police presence. President Larry Bacow "has asked us to do the lottery at Cousens so that it will be away from the center of campus," Cabellon said.

In response to ticket forgeries at senior events last semester, the OSA changed the Senior Week ticket designs. Between 60 and 80 fake tickets were used at the door of a senior pub night event in Harvard Square.

Cabellon declined to give details about the new tickets. "We have had special tickets made for the events, with checks and balances put in place," he said.

"Let's put it this way," Cabellon added, "if students can manage to forge these tickets, then they deserve to get in."

The new tickets' design and increased security makes them slightly more expensive that last year's tickets. "We chose to go the route that would least affect the seniors," Cabellon said.

Activities for this year's Senior Week include a Six Flags trip with 200 available tickets at $30 each; a Senior Moonlit Cruise with a capacity of 600 at $30 each; a Foxwoods Casino Trip for 200 at $15 each; a Red Sox game for 250 at $24; and the formal Senior Gala at the Boston Park Plaza for 1500 at $60 each.

The full schedule will be available through the Student Services website this week, along with the ticket sales policy and the mandatory Social Week Policy, which all seniors must sign and hand in when they buy tickets. Ticket sales begin May 4.