Planning for success - Editorial

Last Thursday, buses shuttled masses of costumed Hopkins students between the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and Fell's Point for Halloween festivities. Two nights later, hundreds of people crowded into the Glass Pavilion for Diwali Dhamaaka, the Indian festival of lights, a celebration that included Indian food, music and traditional dances.

Both Halloween at Fell's and the Diwali festival are popular traditions that many Hopkins students participate in each year, but one important difference separates the overall success of the two events last week: organizers' preparedness to accommodate a large number of students.

While the Glass Pavilion was packed for Diwali - the Hindu Students Council (HSC), which sponsored the celebration, estimates that more than 800 people attended - the large turnout was not unexpected. In the past, food served as part of the event was available in the same location used for dancing, limiting the amount of room for spectators. But this year, to allow for a larger audience in the Glass Pavilion, food was served in the Great Hall. In preparing for the event, the HSC ensured that there would be room enough for anyone who wanted to attend.

The same cannot be said for those who arranged transportation to Fell's Point last Thursday - there were far too few seats for the number of students who showed up. Between 10 and 11 p.m., crowds of students congregated on the Beach to wait for the buses that would take them to Fell's. When a bus finally arrived, students pushed and shoved past each other in an attempt to claim the available seats, but the bus eventually left with more students still outside than inside. Those left behind witnessed a mass exodus to St. Paul Street, where students again competed for transportation - this time for taxis costing more than $10, despite the fact that they had been promised a free bus ride.

A similar scene awaited students looking for a ride home at the end of the night. Though students formed a somewhat orderly line outside of Latin Palace, where buses left Fell's for Homewood, once again too many had gathered by the time the transportation arrived. The line quickly became a mob pushing toward the front door of the bus, with a few adventurous students rushing to the emergency exit in the back and climbing on that way. Again, those who didn't make it were left to search for a taxi or wait in the cold for the next bus.

Undoubtedly, those who went to Fell's Point on Halloween night still enjoyed themselves, and the buses sponsored by Student Council, the Inter-Fraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council played a large part in this for many students. But the night ended on a sour note for many who were unable to take advantage of the free transportation they had been promised - a completely unnecessary circumstance, since a couple of additional buses could have easily solved the problem.

A little foresight on the part of those who arranged for transportation to Fell's was the only thing absent from an otherwise enjoyable night; after all, the number of students who wanted to go to Fell's should not have been unexpected. Nor should the need for more buses have been a surprise - especially given the fact that students had been forced to wait for excessive amounts of time due to a limited amount of transportation at other recent events, most notably "Shipwrecked."

The lesson to be taken from last week's events seems obvious. Hopkins students often complain that there aren't enough social activities, so when a good one - like Diwali or Halloween at Fell's - comes along, you can expect large numbers in attendance. To ensure the success of their events, organizers should take this simple fact into account, as the HSC did when preparing for Diwali. In short, they must not underestimate students' interest in social activities, or they risk disappointing many of those for whom they had planned the event in the first place.