The carnival replaced the homecoming dance due to alcohol problems at Dance of the Decades
(Ian Hilger -- The Beacon)
By Sarah Hansell Staff Writer hansell14@up.edu
The Campus Program Board's effort to avert binge drinking problems at homecoming by replacing the dance with a carnival appears to have succeeded. According to CPB, 415 students attended the carnival Oct. 7, and there were no alcohol-related problems reported.
Director of Public Safety Harold Burke-Sivers and CPB director Sean Ducey said they were not aware of any alcohol-related issues at the event.
According to Burke-Sivers, the fact that the event was held at the field adjacent to the Office of Public Safety contributed to this.
"This one was on campus," Burke-Sivers said. "We controlled who came in and out."
Ducey is unsure of why there were not instances of intoxicated students at the carnival.
"It could just be different types of events," Ducey said. "It could be that it was earlier in the day."
The carnival featured a whirly-bird ride, inflatable play structures, henna, catered food from Bon Appétit and a dubstep disc jockey (DJ).
Some students think the event should have been after the game, as other homecoming events had been in past years.
"If it was after the game people would be psyched, whereas right now people are just getting done with classes," junior Chanel Gray said.
According to Ducey, the event was held before the game to encourage community.
"The idea was to get together as a group before the game and then go to the game together and cheer on the men's soccer game," Ducey said.
Overall Ducey was pleased with the carnival.
"I talked to some students and they all really liked the event," Ducey said. "I had really positive feedback on what we brought, so I thought it was very successful overall."
Many students agreed.
"It was kind of slow getting started but once it got going, now it's cool," sophomore Natalie Vierra said.
"I didn't know what to expect, but its way better than I thought it'd be," senior Cody Glaess said.
However, many students think the homecoming event should be a dance instead of a carnival.
"I think I would rather have a dance, but it has been really, really fun so far," junior Daniel Jeppesen said.
Freshman Markus Fuchs agrees.
"There's got to be a dance," Fuchs said. "Like, this is fun. If you want to make it fun, it'll be fun. But a dance is where it's at."
(Jackie Jeffers -- The Beacon)
(Jackie Jeffers -- The Beacon)
