This past Friday many of us experienced Break the Ice — the first Winter Bash to be held off campus. For all of you who weren't there, I'll try to convey the feel of the evening in one word: chaotic.
Don't get me wrong; I had a good time. It was nice to get off campus, and to be in a large and carpeted ballroom instead of in Gantcher Center — which no matter how inebriated you are always seems to smell faintly of sweaty tube socks. But I woke up the next morning thinking: "Was it worth it?" Would I rather get over the gym sock smell and still have a crisp Hamilton in my pocket? I concluded that although it was nice to be off campus, I could have had just as good a time in our trusty old gym — albeit with some slight changes.
I know the general reasons why the event was moved, even though I freely admit I don't know any specifics. As far as I can tell from the many Tufts Daily articles over the last few months, the administration felt overwhelmed with the number of people at previous Winter Bashes. There were many complaints that the lines for the bathrooms were too long and chaotic, and there were simply way too many hammered kids to deal with. Although the move to the Sheraton Boston Hotel did address some of those problems, it failed to solve all of them and also created unique ones of its own.
Here's how my experience went down. I started out the evening with a group of friends, all of whom had tickets for the 10 p.m. bus. We dutifully arrived at Aidekman Arts Center at five minutes to 10, only to be met by what seemed to be half of the student body — including many people who had tickets for the 9 p.m. bus. We sucked it up and lined up obediently, but proceeded to spend 40 minutes winding our way through Aidekman in a line so horrendous it could only have been set up with the express purpose of sobering people up. When we did finally got to the bus, there was only one waiting in the parking lot. This made me wonder — shouldn't there have been many buses, one coming right after the other, in order to accommodate the vast number of partygoers? Having only a few buses arrive every half-hour seemed like poor planning, considering most students probably wanted to leave between the hours of nine and 10 p.m.
Winter Bash is billed as the first of the Senior Pub Nights for the spring semester. Therefore, when my friends and I found out on the bus that the bar we had been expecting only served beer and wine, we were pretty bummed. To top it off, the cost of drinks was exorbitant — $9 for a cup of beer. Clearly, the price of the event had the potential to escalate for many students. I ask you: If there is a separate space cordoned off for those who are over 21, if the event is billed as a Senior Pub Night and if drinks are going to be ridiculously overpriced, shouldn't the adults of legal age at this university be entitled to a full bar?
As for the rest of the event: The coat check was closed when I arrived, although in the end I was glad I hadn't taken advantage of that particular perk. The line after the dance ended was at least 20 minutes long, and I know many people who lost their coats. The under-21 section (into which I descended when I decided I was ready to get my dance on) looked exactly like Winter Bash in Gantcher, except for the plush carpeting under my feet. The line for the bathroom was miraculously short, although I was surrounded on both sides of my stall by girls heartily upchucking their dinner and drinks. The food, I hear, was excellent — although I didn't get a taste of it myself. My ride back was problem-free, although I heard from friends that several buses got lost.
My experience wasn't half bad, despite the long line for the bus and the lack of alcohol at the bar. I have had three other Winter Bashes that were just as much fun, however, and so my question remains this: Why did we need this change? From what I've heard, Tufts lost a tremendous amount of money on this endeavor. I read in the Daily on Feb. 2 that former Tufts Community Union President Duncan Pickard — a longtime advocate for fewer expenses for students — thought that the $10 ticket was reasonable for what we received. I disagree.
Break the Ice at the Sheraton had just as many problems as Winter Bash in Gantcher. Although the lines for the bathroom were short, the hassle of transportation and checking coats pretty much cancelled that out. My experience in the bathroom amidst the puking partiers was a testament to the fact that there were just as many drunk people at the Sheraton as there usually are in Gantcher. This was probably the result of underclassmen having to pre-game harder and earlier in order to catch their assigned bus.
I have no idea whether the university considered Break the Ice a success or not. Personally, I felt like I shelled out $10 for an experience I could have just as easily had at Gantcher — which would have been a much more convenient location. My advice to the administration: For what it's worth, keep the event at Gantcher, but invest in a few Porta-Potties to reduce the bathroom lines, add more security to deal with the huge crowd and order a thousand pizzas to help reduce drunken behavior. We would be saving money for the school and for the student body.
--
Phoebe Pickering is a senior majoring in English.
