Start hitting the gym twice a day, remove all that unsightly hair and buy a bottle of Insta-Tan because the Nighttime Quad Reception is coming soon.
Preparations for the Nighttime Quad Reception are underway as the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and Tufts Programming Board plan for the Dec. 10 festivities.
The Nighttime Quad Reception was conceived as an attempt to improve safety at the longtime Tufts tradition after its reputation reached a low point in 2002. That year, 500 to 600 students crammed inside West Hall and five students TEMS assistance as a result of the Naked Quad Run.
One of the five students was unconscious when he was admitted to the hospital for alcohol poisoning and had to be put under anesthesia.
"Our goal is to draw crowds out of West [Hall]; to provide entertainment for people outside of West," Programming Board co-Chair Alexis Smith said.
West Hall's safe occupancy limit is approximately 200 people but in past years, runners and voyeurs have filled it far beyond its capacity.
"Our main concern is that people don't get hurt and that they feel safe," said Zachary Landau, TCU senator and coordinator of the Nighttime Quad Reception. "[The] TCU and Programming Board have nothing to do with the Naked Quad Run."
According to Landau, the TCU Senate will be responsible for the "safety aspects" of the unofficial Tufts tradition. These include coordinating police support, Tufts Emergency Medical Services, an on-site ambulance, and the salting and sanding of the Residential Quad in the event of snowfall.
Landau is still looking for eight to 12 more student volunteers to assist with the Senate's safety preparations. The volunteers will walk through West Hall to be sure emergency exits are unobstructed and provide assistance to Nighttime Quad Reception revelers.
"[They'll] serve as a buffer between police and students," he said. "If someone is in trouble they'll have a student to go to and say, 'I need help.'"
The volunteers will be on duty from 8 p.m. to midnight.
The Health Advisory Board, a group of students who work with Tufts Health Services, is also working with the Senate to ensure student safety.
To ensure students' entertainment, nudity will come with a soundtrack - a student DJ is slotted to play at some point between Barnum and Ballou Halls on the Academic Quad. Several stations will be set up on both the Residential and Academic Quads to dispense free hot chocolate and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Smith said the entertainment planned for the Nighttime Quad Reception is "fairly minimal compared to last year," however.
But like last year, a limited number of free t-shirts will be available with "NQR" emblazoned across the chest, Landau said. NQR is the acronym for both the Nighttime Quad Reception and the Naked Quad Run.
Last year's planned reception was supposed to include live performances from a local band, a Tufts a cappella group, and a Tufts student band. Also scheduled for the carnival were Chinese food, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and hot chocolate.
But last year's Nighttime Quad Reception, which would have been the first, was cancelled due to heavy snowfall. Transportation difficulties and electrical concerns precluded the planned entertainment and prevented the Chinese food from being delivered. Only doughnuts and hot chocolate were offered.
"This year's scaled-down version is less reliant on electricity so we've got back-ups," Landau said. "But if another record-breaking blizzard hits us with equally bad timing there's not much we can do about it."
According to TCU Treasurer Jeff Katzin, the budget for the reception is $9,000, of which $5,000 is coming from the TCU Senate. The remainder is being paid by the administration.
Over-time pay for Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers and associated costs are part of the $9,000 total.
Last year's run went far more smoothly due to student involvement and prior safety considerations. With the help of 30 student volunteers, TUPD, and local police officers, only two students received minor injuries.
Noise complaints from nearby residents were also considerably lower in 2003 than in 2002. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman told The Tufts Daily last December that "there were no complaints that I have heard about."
