Seniors Say Soiree Soggy, Sparse

In a flurry of angry e-mails, disgruntled seniors voiced their discontent this week over the sold-out annual Senior Soiree, held last Saturday evening in Radcliffe Yard.

Seniors complained that the trappings were far less generous than those offered by last year’s event, which featured such amenities as a heated tent, an open bar and chocolate-covered stawberries.

Besides a tent that provided a canopy for the festivities, this year’s offerings were sparse, seniors who attended the event said.

In response to the angry e-mails, Senior Class Marshal Deanna E. Barkett ’03 explained that the soiree has been more resplendent in the past because it used to be funded by Radcliffe.

This year, however, Radcliffe decided against its annual subsidy for the event.

Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Drew Gilpin Faust, said that the soiree used to be funded by Radcliffe’s alumnae association, to welcome alums-to-be, but since Radcliffe no longer has new alumnae, it no longer felt responsible for the event. The Harvard Alumni association, has taken over that funding role, Faust said.

Luke R. Long ’03, who is also a class marshal, said that the senior class committee decided last fall to go ahead with the soiree despite the lack of additional funds because “it’s something that’s always been done, and we knew we wanted to do it.”

“The Alumni Association generously offered to front the money understanding that our class then pays them back based on ticket receipts,” First Class Marshal Krishnan N. Subrahmanian ’03 wrote in an e-mail, explaining that this left the committee $20,000 to plan the Senior Soiree on its own for the first time. Subrahmanian attributes the final purchasing decisions for the soiree to the Harvard Alumni Association.

Over House open lists this week, however, students began to speculate that the senior class committee had been less than forthright about spending on the event.

Monique S. Bell ’03 posted a message to the Cabot House list, asking, “Where did all the money people paid for the soiree go?”

In actuality, the large tent cost $12,000, according to Senior Class Marshals, who added that the alcohol selection was not vastly inferior to last year.

“Last year they only had five cases of wine—in punch form—at the Senior Soiree, and this year we had six kegs and five cases of wine and it was the same price,” Subrahmanian wrote in an e-mail.

Besides the expenditure of $12 per person on the tent and lighting, Barkett asserted in an e-mail that five dollars from each of the 1,000 tickets went to decorations, the DJ and alcohol, and the remaining three dollars were reinvested in senior activities, with remaining funds conserved for future reunion events.

Long attributes much of the disappointment to the wet weather—and to the misguided expectations of students.

“I think people should ask their House reps before with questions on how long the bar would run. I think a lot of the disappointment was because people didn’t know what they were expecting. If they just e-mailed the House rep about how large the tent would be or things like that, [the reps] would get back and they wouldn’t be so upset,” Long said.

Despite criticism, Long maintains that the Senior Soiree was largely a success, and he said he supported without reservation its continuation.

“I really recommend for next year’s Senior Class Committee to hold it also because it really was a great experience,” Long said.

—Staff writer Tzu-Huan Lo can be reached at tlo@fas.harvard.edu.