Those of us who choose the non-Greek path of the undergraduate social scene only see the culmination of the fraternity party process, the celebration itself.
But after speaking to members from different fraternities on campus, one learns that the few hours you spend at their house on a weekend night actually represents only a fraction of the time that is put into the event. It must be planned, advertised, and when the big night comes, such a gathering must be orchestrated to ensure the safety and satisfaction of those in attendance. However, learning about the planning process of the average fraternity gala at Johns Hopkins leaves one with an unanswered query; included in all that must be done, can separate the average Greek celebration from a great fraternity party?
Senior Tarik Najeddine of Sigma Chi, senior Paul Winterling of SAE, former Social Chair of SigEp Trevor Bradshaw, and junior Saul Garlick of AEPi, weighed in on the latter question, as well as shared their opinions on what must go on in the planning process of a fraternity party. Najeddine believes that this process begins several weeks away from the actual date of the party due to its many components. "We have to figure out what the drinks will be, what the theme will be, if there will be anything crazy about it," he said. "We have to assign spheres of responsibilty for different tasks. And we especially have to work hard at public relations; we have4 to plan big, and expect bigger."
Garlick gives a much shorter estimate for prep time, believing that two to three days before the event is enough time to get the house in order for the proposed festivities. A party at AEPi is less complex. "You can start the whole process at most a week out, or at the very least a couple of days before. We set a budget, we see if we want it themed. If we don't want it themed, all we need to do is clear out a main floor; we'll set up a Beirut table, and that's it. If it is themed, we'll talk about it, [brainstorm] and figure one out," Garlick said.
A theme can be an integral part of the development of night. Much debate goes into the actual content of the parties themselves, such as what theme, if any, the party will revolve around. Najeddine prefers themed parties and relates them to parties where everyone has the most fun but finds usable party premises hard to come across. He believes that a theme must be entertaining, uncomplicated, and inviting all at once; it must be "universal enough that everyone will understand, but not so weird and stupid that no one will want to come."
But what about the duties of the fraternity brother at the actual party itself? Bradshaw puts safety paramount, equating a good party with "a night where everyone has a good time and where they were always safe." Garlick is vigilant that the safety and joy of all those in attendance are considered a priority during the night and takes many steps to ensure both. "We have one or two brothers taking care of drinks, and one brother working the music. Two brothers are always standing out front, taking care of cover charges, making sure everyone's quiet, and everyone who comes in is from Hopkins," he said.
So, the party has been planned, the brothers arrived early and set up the house, the drinks are set up, there is a DJ for music, (Najeddine and Garlick prefer DJ's over bands), but what happens if the night gets off to a slow start? What can be done to get it going? For AEPi the answer is to hit the phones and work on raising the number of females in attendance. "Call your friends and let them know what's going on," Garlick said. "be sure to tell people you're having a late night- the bottom line is that if you're having a party, people will come. People are looking for [stuff] to do."
Garlick and Najeddine both believe however, that there becomes a point of no return, a time when the night is officially a bust. "By 12:00 am, 12:15 am, if you look around and the heads aren't there, the nights been passed up," Najeddine attests. Garlick also professes to this midnight standard, but base the difference between a good party and bad party on the number of girls in attendance around 12:00 am. "It's pretty safe to say that girls are the barometer of a good frat party; if it's like 12:00 am, 12:30 am, and there aren't enough girls there, then it's the sign of a Beirut night," Garlick said.
So, if the night is a loss if there are only a few people actually partying in the house and only few are female, , what is the one element that makes a frat party great, and lifts it above your average Greek bash? For this question we turn not only to those in fraternity life, but to those in sorority life, and those not even in Greek life. All these persons have been to frat parties and stayed to the end, and have left either exhilarated or with a sour taste in their mouth.
Winterling thinks that what makes the party truly great is the people who are there. "While it can be fun to go a party where you meet lots of new people, I think more people enjoy surrounding themselves with friends," Winterling said.
For sophomore Beth DeFrancesco of Theta, it's the same, that having fun with the people around is key. "When you can actually have a conversation with people, and you're with friends, it's more laid-back, it's more fun," she said.
Even for the non-Greek, the answer is the same. After all the talk of planning it seems that people, and not preparation or public relations, is the key to a great fraternity party.
"[It's a successful party] if the people are into it, if enough people are socializing and dancing, and if there's a theme that people connect with" said sophomore Andrew Levy.
