On Tuesday night Hopkins hosted its first High Table, an event designed to bring together freshmen and faculty to facilitate intellectual discussion outside the classroom.
The event began with short speeches by freshman class president Wyatt Larkin, Dean Paula Burger of Undergraduate Education, President Ronald Daniels and Reverend Albert Mosley of the Interfaith Center. About 440 students attended.
Burger explained that while she had wanted to try an event like this at Hopkins for some time, this year seemed to bring together all the necessary elements to accomplish it.
"I have had it in mind to do this for several years and was waiting to see if any students grabbed hold of this," she wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Both she and Dave Furhman, the Head of Dining, credited senior Nate Levin with providing some of the impetus for the event, but also pointed out that the freshman class council had a significant role in organizing it.
"Nate Levin was just back from a semester abroad at Oxford and was really enthused about the High Table dinners they had there," Furhman said. "At the same time, the freshman class council had been really interested in doing an event."
Furhman coordinated the logistics of the night with the freshman class council and members of the Aramark dining staff.
The event consisted of a semi-formal dinner, complete with hired waitstaff, with professors seated interspersed with students.
Those involved spoke of the desire to help foster a sense of community between the freshmen class and the faculty.
"Tonight is about tradition and togetherness," Daniels said.
Burger agreed. "I'm glad to have the participation of so many faculty here tonight," she said in her opening remarks.
Larkin spoke of his pride for his class and his hope for its continued involvement in student life.
"I like to think we are part of something new at Hopkins," he said.
Freshman Julia Zhang spoke positively about the event.
"The highlight was definitely talking to the professors," she said. "But it was also just a really nice change in setting, seeing everyone dressed up."
She also expressed some surprise at the fact that it was specifically for freshmen.
"I'm surprised they didn't do something like this for the graduating seniors," she said.
Burger wrote about the reasons that the event was held and why it was targeted specifically towards freshmen.
"We thought that the interaction between faculty and students was especially important to foster among our first-year students so that they will be encouraged to seek out faculty and engage them going forward in their career."
She said that the fact that all freshmen are on a meal plan helped keep the costs of the event down, which Furhman also mentioned.
"Costs for this event are very incidental since freshmen are on a meal plan anyway," he said. Most costs were related to renting linens for the table cloths and bringing in waiters.
Burger explained how those incidental costs will be covered.
"The difference was made up from the Parents' Fund . . . to which parents . . . [can] contribute, to provide support for activities that enrich the student experience outside the classroom."
Although there were some rumors about a fee for tickets, Furhman said that attendees were not charged, because Aramark catered the event.
Since only 440 students could attend the event, a buffet dinner called "A Taste of Italy" was provided to other freshman in the Charles Commons Ballroom.
However, the freshmen who attended the buffet dinner did not feel left out of the High Table event.
"I did hear about the High Table event, but I didn't sign up for it because I didn't want to pay for tickets. It also kind of struck me as a little pretentious," freshman Eric Kanter said.
"I don't mind [eating in Charles Commons ballroom], I mean it's a nice change of scenery, and I think the food is really good here."
Other freshmen agreed that the event seemed a little too fancy for their schedule.
"I had a pretty busy day, and I didn't really want to have to dress up to go eat dinner. I'm glad that they had this alternative to that dinner because some people have exams and homework to do," freshman Heesung Lee said.
While others may have wanted to attend, some did acknowledge the fact that it would not have been feasible to have a dinner that would accommodate the entire freshman class.
"I was a little worried about the food at this [alternate] event, but it's actually been pretty good. I think it would have been too extensive of a project to make the High Table event for all 1,400 of us, there's just no space," freshman Lindsey Starks said.
Furhman explained that the limitation on attendance was based on the capacity of the FFC, given the way they had rearranged the tables for the night.
Burger and the freshmen council advertised by sending out mass emails to the freshman class and later sending out a paper invitation that resident advisors delivered by hand.
She emphasized that spending from the Parents' Fund is used for events for all classes, and that suggestions for new traditions from upperclassmen would be taken into consideration.
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