AFTER any good step show, students at the University, just like students at any other college, want to attend a good after party. The idea of an after-party is an almost-guaranteed success: After watching some of the best step teams on the East Coast do their thing, college kids visiting from other campuses like Virginia State, Virginia Tech and Duke University want to meet up and have a good time with their peers from U.Va., right? Well, not necessarily.
All didn't go as planned this past weekend after the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Regional Step Exhibition, which hosted visiting teams from historically black fraternities and sororities. Needless to say, after months of planning and preparation, the step show went off without a hitch. On the other hand, the after-party didn't fare so well, and there were more than a few University students who were disgruntled about it. Students were angry about the party, but they did not have valid reason to be.
The after-party at the Omni Hotel was filled to maximum capacity at an early hour, so by the time the majority of University students began to arrive they couldn't get in -- even though they'd brought step show tickets that would provide them with a discounted entry. Students waited in line and argued with the party organizers, and the majority of the students were finally told to go home by security and police officers who recognized the venue had reached its capacity. When it comes to large-scale events like step show after-parties, students shouldn't try to fight or argue their way in the door, because an over-packed venue can spell disaster for the organizers and for the students as well. Disheartened and disgruntled, the students finally backed off -- only to find out later that the party was shut down in an untimely fashion anyway.
To blame Iota Phi Theta or their partners in the dysfunction of the after party wouldn't be an unfair accusation, because the after-party was well-organized and highly promoted. All of the problems surrounding this past weekend's after-party could have been prevented had the majority of University students only arrived on time.
In recent years, the start time for events has been shifting so that what was once fashionably late has now become an unfashionable norm. Most students don't arrive at parties until midnight or even afterward. Students shouldn't expect to gain entry into a party venue when they arrive late, especially as late as midnight, on a weekend when there are dozens of visitors from out of town.
The party was a bust because University students don't even give our student organizations their due respect in arriving early to a party on our own campus. Students from other schools and guests from Charlottesville filled the party quota earlier than students from the University, so it only makes sense that we would be turned away at the door. While we attend to business at home in between events, visiting students go directly to the after party and get in, ultimately leading to the commotion so many of us have been through at the party door.
When student organizations, fraternities or sororities throw large-scale events that take months of planning, students who attend the University should make a special effort to show up on time, to get the best seats or gain the access to the event as they desire. Step shows and huge parties will often attract visitors from out of town -- and by now, University students should know better that venues on campus fill to capacity rather quickly. Although it is the goal of student groups to host quality events, filling seats or making a profit can oftentimes be of equal or greater value to those groups -- regardless of whether the audience is from University or not. Although I am sure Iota Phi Theta would have loved to see their peers present at the party, guests are guests and students from any campus will do.
Those of us who are present at the University should take advantage of the fact that we live all live less than ten minutes away from our respective venues and arrive early, if not on time, to ensure our entry. With large scale spectator events coming up later on in the year, not to mention Spring Fling, we shouldn't be part of the tail end of the crowd -- but the ones in the front of the pack encouraging others to pay in.
Regardless of whether we like it here or not, the University has a reputation of having a rather large social scene -- especially when compared to other schools in Virginia. With that said, the University needs to begin to take this into better account and gravitate toward building facilities that are capable to helping students host events that can actually accommodate the large size of our student body.
The social scene is big here, and the University must recognize that be willing to change alongside it.
In light of recent events with the trampling of two dozen at a Chicago night club and the blaze at a Rhode Island night club that killed nearly one hundred people, University students should also be clear about fire codes and our own collective safety. If a party hits capacity, we should be alright with that and not argue with security or police about who has the right to enter. No party is really worth risking our health and welfare.
(Kazz Alexander Pinkard's column appears Thursdays in The CavalierDaily. He can be reached at kpinkard@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 2 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
