Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #596

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Rice University Permanently Cancels Annual Underwear Themed Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnl2di7jYhU
By Kennedy Sessions, Metro Reporter
After 50 years of tradition, Rice University is per- manently cancel- ing the annual "Night of Decadence" und erwear-themed party months after the latest celebration led to
seven students being hospital- ized for intoxica- tion and 24 oth- ers medically treated on cam- pus.
According to the University news- paper, the Rice Thresher, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman,
and Weiss mag- ister Flavio Cunha alerted the campus in a joint message last week.
"Our tenure has exposed us to the harsher reali- ties of this event, compelling us to reassess its place within our college communi-
ty," they wrote to stakeholders. "We have observed a dis- turbing, reoccur- ring NOD phe- nomenon: large numbers of hos- pital transports due to excessive hard alcohol con- sumption, flouting the University's alcohol policy, jeopardizing stu- dent safety, and straining both University and city resources."
Last fall, the NOD party abruptly ended on Oct.29 after medical staff and emergency per- sonnel said they were "over- whelmed" by sev- eral students needing on-site medical care. Many others were also trans- ported to the hos- pital. Shortly after, campus officials announced can-
celing all on-cam- pus parties until the end of Spring Break because the NOD party ended two hours into the event due to the "alarming rate" of intoxicated stu- dents at the party.
The Thresher reported that after the tempo- rary pause, an alcohol policy advisory group put NOD on a probationary peri- od, during which the Rice adminis- tration and Wiess leadership, organizers of the NOD party, reevaluated the party's process. Finally, the advi- sory panel issued a report that con- tained no recom- mendations on the future of the yearly celebra- tion. The organiz- er ultimately decided to close
it down complete- ly.
"Numerous con- versations with students, staff, and faculty, and our own observa- tions have shown that students rely on alcohol to miti- gate their dis- comfort around attending this event,” Cunha and Gorman wrote in their June 5 message per the Thresher.
“Such depend- ence on alcohol has resulted in regular health and safety issues, including but not limited to excessive alcohol consumption, which cannot be overlooked ... This decision was not made lightly but stems from a commit- ment to ensuring the welfare and safety of our stu- dents.”
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