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BY QUITTERIE GOUNOT

In print | Published October 29, 2009

This Saturday is Halloween and here at Swarthmore, that means it’s time for the biggest party of the year. This year the party will be held in Upper Tarble, a recent decision made as the result of a complex planning process. Until last weekend, the party was expected to be held in a tent on Mertz field. However, various issues were raised by the student body so the Student Affairs Committee, or SAC, reconsidered their decision.

Until 2005, the Halloween party took place in Mary Lyon. However, this practice was discontinued in 2006 because ML residents found that it disrupted their living space. Since then, the party’s location has been in flux; The party was held in Upper Tarble in 2006 and 2007 and in Sharples in 2008.

According to SAC co-directors Rebecca Commito ’10 and Shumpei Tse ’10, finding a location for the Halloween party is always difficult. The main challenge is the size of the room. Commito and Tse estimate that while about 200 to 300 students come to typical Paces parties, 800 to 1000 Swatties will attend the Halloween party.

“Because it’s Halloween and it’s a costume party, people dress up and have fun. The Halloween party is known as a time when the whole campus comes together to share an event,” Commito said.

SAC found that having the party at Sharples last year required too much work. Commito and Tse said that “students enjoyed the new location,” but that it was difficult to have to set up the room after dinner and clean it up before breakfast. They found that the part of Sharples used was too small, but that moving the tables in the big room would be unpractical.

This year, SAC considered returning the party to ML or having it in the PPR dorm complex. However, ML and PPR Resident Assistants expressed concerns about possible effects on their living spaces.
Moreover, the recent police raid at Haverford, which resulted in student arrests, raised major concerns about having a large-scale party in an off-campus dorm, with hundreds of students walking to and from campus. Many alternative locations are out of bounds for such parties; for instance, academic buildings and their bathrooms may not be used for the party.

SAC reasoned that having a tent on Mertz field might be the best option. However, many students were unhappy with this decision, and several important concerns made them reconsider. First of all, the weather remains uncertain, and Mertz field gets very muddy when it rains. Secondly, as in other dorms, some Mertz residents expressed concerns about people causing possible damage and disruption to their residences. Still, the Mertz first floor RAs Andrew Hoot ’10 and Erin Scanlon ’10 assured that they were consulted about the possibility of using their bathrooms for partygoers.
“We were told by SAC that they would be responsible for cleaning up any mess, and that a few Party Associates would be positioned inside of Mertz to make sure that only Swarthmore students got in. We gave the okay to have the party near our residence,” Hoot said.

Commito and Tse said that talking to people about any concerns they might have was very important to them. “Our main goal is for everyone to be happy. We don’t want to alienate anyone,” Tse said.
SAC is not completely happy with the new location of this year’s Halloween party, but they have taken measures to ensure that the party will run as smoothly as possible. People will have to use the stairs to get from Upper Tarble, a dry space, to refreshments in Paces and to the bathrooms, which could present a safety issue.

“There will be Party Associates checking the traffic flow in the stairs and dealing with any spilled liquids,” Commito said. Another issue is that it is hard to get drinks and candy off the “nicely polished floors” of Upper Tarble. “We’ve had lots of experience throwing parties in Upper Tarble by now. We’ll buy food more suited to the space,” Commito and Tse said.

“We’re working with the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, the Party Associates and the dean’s office to make the party as safe and enjoyable as possible,” Tse said.

SAC has put much time and effort into planning this year’s Halloween party, although it has not always been easy, and its efforts have not always been successful.

“It is difficult to throw [this party]. We have to make final judgment calls, but we want to be as inclusive as possible. We take individual concerns seriously,” Tse said.

Commito said that SAC continues to host the Halloween party because they think it is such an important event. She said, “It is a time for the whole campus to enjoy an event together. People with varying interests can come together and share their love for Swarthmore.”

The Halloween party will take place this Saturday in Upper Tarble from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

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