GIRLS NIGHT OUT

Their on-the-town uniform is like any other at Harvard: black pedal pusher pants, low-cut tops and uncomfortable shoes. So attired, five sorority sisters and two friends, no strangers to Harvard final club-hopping, make entrance, after entrance, into a series of smoke-filled, tubthumping, liquor-stocked rooms Saturday night.

Though final clubs have undergone strict scrutiny in recent years, this group believes the clubs--and the women that visit them--are only part of a bigger picture. They see getting together and traipsing around town on weekend nights as less of a meat-market scenario and more an opportunity to meet with friends they rarely see on Harvard's busy campus.

Five women begin the night together, sipping amaretto sours and screwdrivers while watching "Clueless" from their Leverett House futons. Meanwhile, Jennifer A. Swanson '99 and Amanda L. Thompson '99, Cabot House residents, disembark from the shuttle at around 10 p.m. They then promptly head to Christy's for a pint of orange juice, their mixer of choice.

The two proceed to Leverett House to rendezvous with Elizabeth A. Hanselman '99, Vivian A. Gonzalez '99, Irene J. So '00, Alicia A. Carrasquillo '00 and Melissa E. Brown, who attends Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Carrasquillo says one of the reasons she enjoys the weekend gatherings is the relaxed atmosphere.

"It's really fun. It's not like we're competing with each other," Carrasquillo says. "There's no pressure to hook up."

She compares a night out with a group of women to the phenomenon of going to the restroom together to talk.

"When you go out with a group of girls, it's like that all night long. You can chat and evaluate and gossip," she says.

While gearing up for the night out at Leverett, the women explain why inviting male friends to join in outings can often mar the experience. They say interactions between members of the group change, and the dynamic is thrown off. Plus, as Swanson notes, "When we go out with guys, they get obscenely drunk."

Before heading to Leverett, Thompson and Swanson make their first stop of the night: Bay Bank. Although staying in the Square and attending private parties minimizes costs, bar tabs can run up to $30. But paying for drinks pales in comparison to the price for cab fare and dance club cover charges for a night out in Boston, and 21-plus identification is required. Although entrance requirements are negotiable, the price is not always favorable, as Swanson recalls from a previous night of clubbing.

"We had to kiss the bouncer," she recalls, "so that kind of sucked."

A typical night begins with low-key visits to local bars early in the evening, where the group is often subsequently invited to final clubs.

The group sees several advantages in the final club scene. Staying in the Square means less worry about the perils of the night. Quadlings head home in groups and people look out for each other. Although students may criticize the clubs for being exclusively male or elitist, Swanson says that since many of the coeds at the final clubs the crowd frequents are their friends, the women need not be particularly wary.

But, Johnson adds, "each club has a different personality."

For the first stop for the evening, however, the seven skipped final clubs altogether in favor of Sigma Chi. The fraternity is holding a party for its new inductees, but a majority of the group finds the small gathering largely disappointing.

"There were a lot of girls there," Carrasquillo says. "Who wants to dance with a room full of girls?"

In addition, many of the party attendees are not from Harvard, a fact that the group concludes from numerous cabs pulling up to the house and unfamiliar faces.

Disappointed by the foreign party crowd, the group heads for the Hong Kong, where scorpion bowls crowd one side of the table as some whose identification received negative reviews from the waiter joined those who chose not to order drinks.

Then comes the AD. The final club is holding a "Back to Summer" party with members in Scuba diving suits and Hawaiian shirts. After around half an hour of shooting pool and smoking on the crowded second floor, the verdict is in: too crowded, with too few familiar faces.

The group finally heads toward 59 JFK, for the quintessential Grille experience: smoke, crowds and plenty of beer.

At the start, Swanson wards off a potential suitor who casually mentions to her, "I'm heading back to the Quad now and it would be really nice to have someone come back with me."

To this Swanson replied, "Um, I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate that."

Most in the group have boyfriends, which often leads to creative responses when faced with pick-up lines from Harvard men.

"I usually casually mention the fact that I have a boyfriend," Swanson says. "Sometimes, I just don't mention it, if he's really cute."

In fact, Swanson met her current boyfriend, Douglas M. Sproule '98, at the Grille her first year.

Avoiding the rush at closing, part of the groupleave the Grille in search of mozzarella fries andgarlic bread at Tommy's.

Hoping the AD party crowd has thinned, two ofthe original seven women return to thebuilding--only to find crowds lingering outside ofthe Plympton Street entrance.

The next alternative: the Fox, where a fewmembers are found generally lounging around. It isperhaps the only point in the evening when thegroup's faith in the final club scene is shaken:to the disappointment of all, the bar oddly lacksits perennial keg. Though unsatisfied, Swanson andJohnson eventually decide to call it a night andbegin their walk back to the Quad.

"I've had better nights," Gonzalez says.

Others agree that the night was uneventful.

"It depends on circumstance," Hanselman says ofthe evening's potential. "It's kind of like wewere on this quest and we never quite found it. Idon't mean that to be a hook-up or anything, justsome diverse company."

But most say the goal of a girls' night out wasaccomplished--to have a good time in the companyof friends. Going out with a group is anopportunity to catch up with friends who don'tshare common interests Hanselman says.

"Most of my friends live in different Houses,and we don't take the same classes," she says.When going out, "you can catch up in a socialenvironment. It's more fun than being on thephone.

Avoiding the rush at closing, part of the groupleave the Grille in search of mozzarella fries andgarlic bread at Tommy's.

Hoping the AD party crowd has thinned, two ofthe original seven women return to thebuilding--only to find crowds lingering outside ofthe Plympton Street entrance.

The next alternative: the Fox, where a fewmembers are found generally lounging around. It isperhaps the only point in the evening when thegroup's faith in the final club scene is shaken:to the disappointment of all, the bar oddly lacksits perennial keg. Though unsatisfied, Swanson andJohnson eventually decide to call it a night andbegin their walk back to the Quad.

"I've had better nights," Gonzalez says.

Others agree that the night was uneventful.

"It depends on circumstance," Hanselman says ofthe evening's potential. "It's kind of like wewere on this quest and we never quite found it. Idon't mean that to be a hook-up or anything, justsome diverse company."

But most say the goal of a girls' night out wasaccomplished--to have a good time in the companyof friends. Going out with a group is anopportunity to catch up with friends who don'tshare common interests Hanselman says.

"Most of my friends live in different Houses,and we don't take the same classes," she says.When going out, "you can catch up in a socialenvironment. It's more fun than being on thephone.