AARON SKUBBY, Asst. News Editor—The brand new social space Moon Hall hosted an inaugural party for all students featuring food, student performances and a student crowdsourced music playlist.
The hall has four interior spaces called “Crescent Moon,” “Full Moon,” “New Moon” and “Gibbous Moon.” The hall was named following a student naming contest. The name “Moon Hall” was intended as a nod to the “Sunnies,” the nickname for senior apartments that in past years were the go-to locations for parties on campus.
Posters advertising Moon Hall’s Snapchat account could be found all over campus, and students received emails advertising the event. The emails were sent by, Dean of Student Leadership and Community Engagement, Erik Farley who highlighted the schedule of the event, held on Friday, October 25. There was food from 8 – 10 p.m. and dancing and entertainment from 10 p.m. -1 a.m.
The food included walking tacos, chicken nuggets, and moon shaped cookies. There were also performances by students performers, such as Wizdom Scott ’21 who performed an original rap produced by Ladi Ogundipe ’21. The event was a “BYOB Event” according to Farley’s email. Students were allowed to bring “beer, wine and other single-serving beverages (e.g., hard seltzer) in cans or boxed containers.”
The event was planned by a committee comprised of students Youssef Bourouphael ’22, Dominika Chruszcz ’22, Gabriela Perez ’20, Eric Smolker ’21, Coby Strell ’21, and faculty Erik Farley, Matthew Vetter and Drew Mascioli.
Registration for the space is now open, and every individual space in the Hall was registered by Greek organizations for formals on Saturday, October 26.
In the past, Denison has tried to shift away from dorm and apartment parties and toward parties held in campus social spaces. Any party of more than 15 students must be registered and held in a designated social space. This change comes following concerns about structural safety in dorm and apartment parties, after concerns of floors warping during large parties.
Registering for parties is done through an online portal. There is a calendar available online so students may see what spaces are already reserved. There are eleven total spaces, four of which are in Moon Hall. There are a set of guidelines that students must follow in order to host a party. There must be a party host, who is over 21, to address any concerns that may arise during the event.
There must be alcohol servers and door monitors, at a ratio of one per 30 guests. Campus organizations must include Peer Safety Monitors (PSM) “at a ratio of 30 guests to 1 PSM; PSMs will ID and wristband guests and assist hosts with policy compliance.”
Hosts must abstain from alcohol and other substances during the event, and must provide food and non alcoholic beverages. Party registration guidelines are designed to “empower students to create a safe, respectful, and enjoyable social environment for members of the community,” according to the party registration webpage.