Halloween party cancelled

By Annie Rose Ramos

Jailbirds, cat-in-the-hats, unicorns, bumble bees, the Flintstones and Cruella Deville are just some examples of the innovative costumes students were planning to debut on the night of Halloween Havoc, the much anticipated Halloween party hosted by the Sigma Pi fraternity.

However, to much disappointment, the Havoc party was cancelled at the last minute, leaving students upset that their $5 "bid" investment was not going to be refunded. Halloween Havoc, one of Santa Clara's biggest, most highly attended and most memorable night parties was not going to happen.

"I was out buying my costume when I got a call saying it was cancelled," said sophomore Jeff Norona.

"What was our Halloween weekend was now practically ruined because we would not have Havoc to start the weekend off?"

I myself remember Havoc from last year. I was a cat, and I remember being with all my friends, dancing the night away in Sigma Pi's makeshift Haunted House with a giant banana, Mario and a gorilla.

So what happened this year that left a lot of ninja turtles and desperate housewives all dressed up and nowhere to go? The cancellation has caused much speculation, debate and rumors.

But here is what really happened:

According to Santa Clara Deputy Fire Marshall Craig Anderson, who was called out to the scene, the Sigma Pi house had two major fire-code violations: improper use of extension cords and decorative uses of highly flammable plastic.

So the lights and decorations had been deemed in violation of safety codes, a violation which resulted in the cancellation of the party. Those are the facts.

But who tipped the Fire Marshall and other authorities off? This is where it all becomes speculation. Many different theories have been floating around, the most far-fetched of which assumes sabotage by other fraternities or that the university itself had something to do with the cancellation.

While the sources of the shutdown are purely speculative, there nonetheless remains the question of why anyone would ruin such a fun and much-anticipated night.

Perhaps it would be more understandable if Havoc took place for the duration of the weekend.

But it did not.

It was one night. One night in the quarter for everyone to dress up, get together and have fun.

In regards to the rumors, I know many guys from other fraternities who had "bids" to Havoc and were planning to go. Sigma Pi's new house on the corner of Lafayette and Belomy is no more of a target than any other greek house around campus.

The university, while vigilant about remaining separate from greek life, is still aware that hosting and attending parties is a part of college life for many students. So we will probably never get to the bottom of who informed the fire marshal of Halloween Havoc's unsafe decorations.

I still can't help feeling robbed of what I consider a festive Santa Clara tradition. The social scene here can get monotonous at times and something that breaks up the routine, like a day party or holiday party, is always well received by students looking for something different and exciting.

Considering that our greek life is not nearly as intense as other colleges', why can't we be allotted a few big party nights? What would be a good compromise between students and local authorities?

I hope that those in a position to regulate social activity off campus will allow college students to be college students.

With stressful schedules, essay deadlines, work, sports, sororities, fraternities and research, shouldn't students be entitled to a few expressions of care-free fun? This fun manifests itself at parties where students can gather together in a non-academic setting and complain about how much work we have to do.

We look forward to the possibility of Halloween Havoc next year. But until then, we will keep our costumes safe in the back of our closets and try to have fun despite the interference of those who feel the need to regulate.

Annie Rose Ramos is a senior English major.