Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Photo by Dianne Seo.Paury Flowers, Assistant Coordinator of Student Activities, reported of Saturday’s Halloween Party that “everything was handled the way it needed to be handled… I’m very proud of SAC and Student Council, and I’m proud of the students for taking care of each other.” Jessica Hamilton ’09, Co-Director of SAC, agreed, writing in an e-mail that “everything went really smoothly both in terms of safety and damage.”
Even clean-up went relatively well, according to Hamilton. “Cleaning up wasn’t exactly the most fun thing to do until 4am but it wasn’t as bad as we expected… overall, with the exception of a messy cereal fight in room 6 and a Iot of spillage on the floor, it was what you would expect from a party of its magnitude.”
The party was confined to the central room and the middle dining area so as to create a managable space, and Hamilton reported that “Even though it got really crowded during the busy hours, there was a decent flow between the refreshments section and the dance floor. Unlike Upper Tarble, everything was really accessible and helped create a better party vibe.”
Last Halloween, a student fell down the stairs in Upper Tarble, prompting the Gazette to ask if there had been worries about the Sharples staircase. “There aren’t too many places where we won’t have to deal with a staircase,” explained Flowers. “The bottom exit probably helped with that… but every space has its issues, no space is perfect.”
Asked about the future of parties in Sharples, Flowers said, “Given the success of this particular party, we’re going to continue to think of it as a possible space, but we’re going to do it on a case-by-case basis… there is a lot of excitement and interest in using it… because there is such a need on this campus for space.”
Hamilton wrote that although Sharples was a great space, “It required a lot of time and effort on the part of SAC, the administration and the Sharples staff. Plus, it was very difficult to coordinate set-up and cleanup with people coming in and out for meals. I would definitely love to attend another Sharples party, but as of now SAC’s formals will continue to be hosted in the traditional space of Upper Tarble.”