Undergrads Can Still Buy Unclaimed Ball Tickets

Three-hundred unclaimed tickets to Saturday's 350th Grand Ball are being made available to students, Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said yesterday.

Undergraduates who mailed in their responses after the ball sold out last month, those who applied for tickets through the lottery and students who placed their name on a waiting list yesterday will all be eligible to receive tickets.

Tickets which are not picked up by 5 p.m. today will be distributed to students on a first-come-first-serve basis tomorrow, one day before the ball.

In addition to the ball tickets which will be sold today, the committee is still giving away tickets to two of the formerly invitation-only events.

After students complained about the exclusivity of the some of the events of the 350th celebration, Epps decided to give away tickets to the tea with Secretary of Education William J. Bennett on Friday and to Friday's writers' luncheon.

About 52 students picked up tickets to the tea today and about 35 picked up passes for the luncheon which will feature authors James Atlas '69 and Jonathan Fernandez '69, said W. Robert Genieser '89, who was supervising the ticket office yesterday.

Tickets will be available today as well on a first-come-first-served basis until the passes run out, added Genieser.

Opening up the events helped make thecelebration a little less unfair, said Keith H.Wofford '90, who will be having tea with Bennetton Friday. "There was a snowball's chance in hellthat any freshman would be invited to anything,"the Hollis resident added.

Added Richard Metters '88, who picked up aticket to the tea with Bennett yesterday, "Thereal 350th had equal opportunity whereas withthis, if Archie knows you, you're on the list."

A Very Large Tent

If all of the $15 tickets to the ball are sold,a total of 4500 partygoers will dance theirSaturday night away under what Epps jokinglyreferred to as "one of the largest tents evererected."

Over the summer the 350th Celebration Committeesent invitations to the fete to all theundergraduates at their home addresses. The ballsold out of its original 3500 tickets before thesemester began.

After students complained about the limitedavailibility of tickets, the celebration committeedecided to lottery off an additional 1500 tickets.About 2000 people signed up in the lottery, ofwhom approximately 90 percent received tickets.

As of about yesterday, however, several ofthose receiving tickets had yet to pick up theirpasses for admission to the ball.

Some students--not assured of getting a ticket,even with Epps' recent announcement--are not sowell off. One Eliot House resident who was unluckyin the lottery said, "I'll probably go over toTufts or B.U. to have a good time [Saturdaynight]. It looks like I can't have a good timehere."

For some of those denied tickets to the ball,the passes to some of the formerly invitation-onlyevents sufficed. Chris Russ '89 obtained one ofthe free tickets to the writer's luncheon.

"I didn't get tickets to the ball and I wantedto participate somehow. I didn't want to feel Iwas excluded completely from all of this," Russsaid.

One North House resident who ordered her ticketin July had the much coveted pass, but not a date.So after asking "about 100 boys" Saira Moini '87decided to advertise her plight at the HolyokeCenter 350th ticket office.

"I didn't want to go alone," said Moini. "SinceI'm spending money, I'd rather enjoy the evening."Moini did get a date, but not through theadvertisement. One of her friends asked her to gowith him.CrimsonBruce M. KluckhohnRONALD E. PARK '87 and JOSEPH P. HOWARD '89yesterday purchase tickets that were previouslyunavailable for the 350th ball from MIRIAM I.CARDOZO '85.