EDITORIAL: Plan future Pachanga accordingly
Continue prioritizing safety
This week, International Club President Andrea Verdeja '14 told the Justice in an interview that Pachanga would not be taking place this year due to lack of an appropriate venue. The Shapiro Gym in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, the venue chosen for its larger capacity, was unavailable. While this editorial board understands students will be disappointed that the popular event will not be taking place this year, we appreciate that the club has seriously considered the potential dangers of continuing to hold Pachanga in a smaller venue like Levin Ballroom.
Overcrowding has been one of the more significant problems with the event in the past, and this board is glad the International Club is taking steps to solve it.
For many upperclassmen, Pachanga is an event ingrained in the Brandeis social scene that they look forward to every semester. As a result of the dangers of overcrowding, as well other past complications like the hospitalization of several attendees for alcohol poisoning, the event which was once semesterly became annual, and the University officially suspended last fall it until this spring.
In attempting to plan Pachanga this semester, however, the I-Club chose not to hold it in a venue that would create unsafe circumstances for attendees. We applaud the I-Club for considering the safety of the students before the pressures to administer the event. While the I-Club members could simply have continued the tradition and held Pachanga in the same venue, they are actively trying to improve their event to make it as enjoyable for students as possible. If space permits, I-Club plans to hold Pachanga next year in a safer environment.
Furthermore, following the release of the Alcohol and Drug report, we expected increased communication between students and the administration to avoid making the same mistakes from last year. We are pleased that the partial result of these talks is an increased focus on safety. While we understand the reasons for this second postponement, we also believe students expected that the I-Club and the administration would be able to follow through with the event after the hiatus.
While we are disappointed with the cancellation after its three-semester ban, it is also important that Pachanga live up to the standards of the University in terms of safety. We hope that next year the I-Club and the administration plan accordingly in order to meet students' expectations for this fun and traditional campus event.
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