Ball Lottery Results Out: 434 Are Still Ticketless

Some laughed, others blinked back tears. Some gloated, others griped. Some were ball-bound, others were slated to sweep cinders.

It was all there, outside the Holyoke Center ticket office: the posting of the lottery results for 1500 ticket options to the undergraduate 350th ball.

While more than 1200 students braved lines of up to one hour Monday to throw their names in the hat, only 730 won the opportunity to purchase a pair of tickets to the October 11 black-tie event, according to computerized lists posted yesterday. Another 40 were awarded the chance to buy one ticket to what students are billing as the highlight of the week-long undergraduate celebration of Harvard's 350th birthday.

A bonus of 500 tickets was added to the 1000 additional passes that the University said it would make available following unforseen student demand. The College had originally planned to distribute 3500 tickets on a first-come-first-served basis.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said yesterday that there is some chance that even more tickets would become available. He said it is likely, for example, that two students attending the ball together had each purchased a pair of tickets.

For the time being, however, things will go according to plan. Students will have until 5 p.m. on October 7 to claimtickets, then the remaining passes will begingoing to those on the 434-person waiting list,Epps said.

In a related development, hopeful ball-goershave been flooding the Harvard Club of Boston togobble up the 250 tickets, at $25 apiece, whichthe College set aside for recent graduates.

The Harvard Club bought the tickets at the sameprice and would not be making a profit, saidElizabeth A. Haughey, the club's specialactivities director. She said she had receivedcalls from more than 40 undergraduates aboutobtaining tickets. It is unclear how many ticketshave been sold through the club.

Epps said he was surprised to hear of theselatest developments. "Our agreement with theHarvard Club was that the tickets would be soldonly to members of the young graduates committee,"Epps said, adding that he would speak to the clubas soon as possible about the situation.

While some students accepted the fact that theywon't be going to the ball, others have beentrying to beat the system.

Matthew L. Scheurman '90 said he increased hischances of winning by entering the ticket lotteryfive times. After writing down his name and IDnumber on the official legal pad, he wrote thenames and numbers of four friends who did not wantto go to the ball or stand in line. However,Scheurman claimed he won tickets under his ownname.

Options faced by both winners and losers arethe subject of furtive conversations and carefullyhedged comments. Almost everyone has definiteplans for obtaining tickets, although the scope ofthose plans is as broad as the range of emotionalreactions to the lottery results.

Jessica R. Michelson '88 won two tickets, butshe may not go if her out-of-town date is unableto attend, in which case she will sell them.

"I would sell them for $30," Michelson said."Maybe more. But that's not nice. I'd be sellingthem to friends anyway."

For Kevin M. Joyce '88, two tickets will becoming from a friend who has no use for them. "Ihad another way of getting them if this fellthrough, but I won't tell what it was.