Homecoming: A Sober Perspective

By Bruce Gago | Monday, October 22, 2001

The towering inferno, the screaming of alumni and upperclassmen, wild freshmen touching the flames—the atmosphere left many afterwards with a driving desire to party, dance, and socialize. Homecoming night was fantastic, and I thought about what I could do afterwards. It would be a fun night.

The only well-publicized event I discovered was at the Collis Commonground, hosted by DJ Skribble. I decided to ask my friend Liz to accompany me, and we began our trek to Collis at 12:30—the event had begun at 11. As we neared, we could hear the pounding music from the building, and I thought that, finally, the College had succeeded in sponsoring a viable alternative to the frat scene. Colored lights beamed through the windows of the building, and Liz was visibly surprised by the potential of the dance party.

We entered from the back. What initially gave all indications of being a full fledged dance party turned out to be a disappointment.

A disco ball hung from the rafters, spinning slowly and emitting dazzling beads of light on the floor and walls. Lights flashed as their colors gleamed. A strobe light by the mixer pulsated its mesmerizing beam. Music thundered. The party ostensibly had everything necessary for a success. Almost. Visibly absent were people.

The floor held two small platforms upon which ambitious dancers flaunted themselves as others below gazed.

Though they seemed to be enjoying the party, nearly as noticeable was a mass hugging the walls, watching others dance. These would have been more discreet were it not for the notable lack of actual dancers on the floor. The entire room was barely half-filled, with the participants congregated mostly around DJ Skribble himself. We had assumed that an hour and a half would be ample time for a crowd to gather; apparently this was as bustling the venue would be.

Liz observed that people were leaving and entering in copious numbers. One might assume that those entering were passersby attracted by the music while those leaving were similar people disappointed by the outcome. This notwithstanding, the party was far from a disaster—many of those present seemed grateful for DJ Skribble.

I met several friends who had entered after us. They too were optimistic at first but joined in our chagrin quickly. Tiffany Redding '05, usually an enthusiastic partygoer, noted simply, 'It sucked. It was just a whole bunch of 80s music and techno. People were standing around, mostly because they didn't play any dance music.'

Indeed, by this time, Liz realized that the number of people streaming into the room had slowed to a mere trickle. We agreed that nothing more could await us at the dance and left.

Before heading back, she remembered that she had heard the basement of Thayer was holding a lightly publicized event. We would check it out, hoping that our night not end senselessly early.

We left Collis, and walked across to Thayer. Psi Upsilon, next door, had attracted a large crowd with their music countering that from Collis. One can only wonder what held such attraction within their walls.

As we stepped down into the Thayer's basement, we saw two freshmen enjoying a game of pool—these were basement's only inhabitants. Again, we were both disappointed in the College's noticeable lack of viable non-alcoholic social activities.

Liz and I decided to play a quick game of pong's non-alcoholic cousin in an attempt to lengthen our night. Though we can both say we had a good time (she beat me 21-19), the night clearly had been lacking. We left Thayer, hoping perhaps to rent a movie. The night was over.

The College had an opportunity to create a social alternative but squandered it through lack of publicity and, more deadly, being out of touch with Dartmouth students.

We were not the only students disappointed. 'DJ Skribble was very good, though the absence of people was not. It was an embarrassing turnout; more people should have gone to see such a big name,' said Nicole Valco '05. I wondered what could keep away potential dancers away from a famous name in the industry. Nicole replied, 'I saw people at the frats earlier who said that they would be at the dance. They didn't show up. I guess they must have been having fun where they were.'

Another attendee, Candice Rhodes '05, agreed with Redding, noting that 'The dance was cool, but the music could have been better. It was too much techno.'
Other social options of the evening were scarce. Viraj Patel '05 recalls his evening at Amarna's Wine and Cheese party, sponsored by the programming board. Present for less than thirty minutes, he enjoyed the 'low-key atmosphere and socialization.' The jazz band had just played, and it appeared to be a minor success, he recollects. Regardless, the party was likely poorly publicized as only a 'small gathering of a few people were present.'

Liz and I ended up back at our dorm and met with other unoccupied freshmen. Coming from the euphoria of the bonfire, I was let down. Another night in and about the River cluster was fine, but was it really Homecoming?

Homecoming: A Sober Perspective

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