Ripon College Days

One of Ripon's favorite pastimes, the lounge party, is commonly considered a fraternity function.

In actuality, any student organization is welcome to host a lounge party, and next Saturday Quad Congress will break the fraternity-only stereotype when it sponsors an independent lounge party in the Brockway east lounge.

"The idea of an indie lounge party was suggested by students last year, but nothing really came about," says senior Rachel Fischer, secretary of Quad Congress. "This year at the first meeting we started planning right away after discussing possible other things to do in the Quads."

To host a lounge party, student organizations need only complete a short form and discuss the party with Director of Residence Life Josh De War, typically a ten minute meeting.

The largest obstacle to lounge party planning, however, is full schedule.

"It's first come, first served," says De War. "Whoever fills out the form and makes the appointment to see me first gets the date," which is limited to Friday and Saturday nights.

"The organization agrees that if there is any damage done to that lounge, they're the ones who are responsible and their account will be charged," says De War.

While typically associated with the Quads, lounge parties can actually be held in "any closed lounge where entrance can be controlled from one primary door," says De War.

All quads lounges, with the exception of the middle lounges, apply. But, this rule can also extend buildings' lounges, including Johnson.

However, sororities haven't chosen to host parties in chapter lounges in recent history.

"It's kind of an unwritten law that Johnson remain a much quieter dorm, that's why I don't think we've ever had one there," says senior Amanda Nattinger, president of Panhel and Alpha Chi Omega member. "Plus, lounge parties have always been held in the Quads because they really have the kind of facilities for that."

In the past, sororities have co-sponsored Quad lounge parties with fraternities.

Fraternities also sometimes co-sponsor with groups outside the Greek world.

"Last year we co-sponsored a Black History Month Awareness Lounge Party with BSU and Cultural Diversity Club," says junior Drew Davis, president of Sigma Chi. "This was an enormous hit and the brothers really enjoyed working with other club members and getting to know them. We plan on continuing this party indefinitely for the sake of both awareness and pleasure."

Yet, even though all organizations are welcome to host parties, it seems fraternities will continue to dominate the lounge party scene.

"We love having lounge parties because we look at it as a social service for the campus," says senior Ed Hansen, president of Theta Chi. "Lounge parties aren't really for us, they're for everyone else. Since the entire campus is always invited, lounge parties keep people on campus for the weekends and keep relationships between Greek and independent students friendly."

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