Seniors on Friday night celebrated the beginning of their last 100 days as undergraduates at Tufts with cocktail attire and champagne in Dewick−MacPhie Dining Hall. Four hundred soon−to−be Tufts graduates enjoyed free drinks, hors d'oeuvres and even a toast by University President Lawrence Bacow.
The problem was the senior class has more than 1,100 students, and 1,100 minus 400 — the official capacity of Dewick — is 700 students who, from the conception of the event, were going to be denied entry.
The Senior Class Council and the Alumni Association co−sponsored the event. According to Senior Class Council President Lindsey Rosenbluth, it was the Alumni Association that determined the location of the event. Even bearing in mind the limited options for a suitable on−campus venue, it defies logic to hold an event designed for over 1,000 students in a building with a capacity of only 400.
Furthermore, the Senior Class Council created unnecessary confusion among students by failing to be clear about the capacity limit in the e−mail invitation it sent to the senior class on the day of the event.
"This event has been a huge hit in the past but space is limited, so try to arrive early," the e−mail read. But it went on to say that the first 400 seniors would receive a free gift. It did not make clear that the first 400 seniors would, in fact, be the only ones to receive entry.
According to Rosenbluth, the Senior Class Council was aware of Dewick's capacity. The council should have included this information in the e−mail. Had seniors been aware of exactly how limited space was, they would not have arrived at the event with the assumption that they would gain entry.
Tufts unfortunately lacks a suitable venue to host events like the 100 Days party, which Rosenbluth said was the reason that the Alumni Association resorted to Dewick as the venue. Most open spaces on campus, like Hotung Café or the Alumnae Lounge, are far too small, with capacities more limited than Dewick's. Rosenbluth also noted that moving the event off−campus is not feasible either, as it would dramatically increase the cost and decrease turnout.
The Daily agrees that the 100 Days celebration should continue to be held on campus — leaving campus to commemorate seniors' time at Tufts would not be in the spirit of the celebration. But an event whose purpose is to commemorate a milestone for the senior class should accommodate that entire senior class. Dewick, therefore, is a poor choice.
In the future, the event should be moved to either the Gantcher Center or the Carzo Cage — on−campus venues that can easily fit the entire senior class. According to Rosenbluth, the Alumni Association did not consider either location because they would have been more costly, too spacious and would not have provided the ideal atmosphere for the event.
"You don't really hold a cocktail party in a gym," she said.
While neither alternative to Dewick is ideal, they meet what should be the minimum requirement to host a party celebrating the achievements of the senior class: The senior class can actually attend.
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