A budget tab that lists a life-size pirate statue, lumber and
materials to build a ship, a plank and a waterfall would seem like
it would be the shopping list for the set of the next
“Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.
But it is the list of materials for a party down the street from
campus. And the hosts are not pirates, just fraternity members
hoping students who attended would call it a priceless
experience.
But Theta Chi’s “Pirates” theme party on Oct.
20 was a costly endeavor ““ the decorations, security, disc
jockey and all other expenses cost the fraternity’s treasury
approximately $3,000, said Koby Rehman, a UCLA alumnus and live-in
adviser for the house.
Aside from monetary expenses, both time and effort go into
preparing these parties.
“We had about 10 guys working on the ship … about six
hours a day for two weeks. A lot of coordination was put into it
and the hardest part was getting the top part up,” said Henri
Domange, a second-year business economics student and vice
president of the fraternity, referring to the difficulty in
stabilizing the two tall masts of the ship that hold the sails.
So why surrender a large portion of “yer” treasured
time and booty for just one night?
“It’s mostly done for pride and reputation. You want
to throw the best parties so your house can gain the reputation of
being the best fraternity,” Rehman said.
“It’s also about how can we can portray the
fraternity in a positive way. That could include whether people
talk about the party for weeks on end or that you’re known to
host something unique that people can have fun with,” he
added.
Jeff Travis, director of communications for the UCLA
Interfraternity Council and member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said
fraternities host parties “mostly to keep up
appearances,” referring to the fraternity’s general
desire to maintain its presence within the UCLA community.
But along with the incentives, there is the need to pay for
expenses, as well as deal with “the bunch of random people at
the house,” said Travis, a third-year political science
student.
There is also an added consequence that is only noticeable when
the party is over.
“Your house gets trashed,” Travis said.
Whether the party is worth the trouble of waiting in line or
dressing in theme is a judgment call for students.
At the pirate party the line outside the house extended far past
the front lawn at one point and it was rich with students wearing
stripes, some with patches, some with hats and some even shirtless
to reflect the theme.
Avani Oswal, a second-year business economics student, was
dressed for the occasion.
She wore stripes and waited in line with a group of seven girls.
She said though she rarely waits in lines to go to fraternity
parties, she was willing to wait as long as 30 minutes for a party
of this magnitude.
“It’s important for the fraternities to host parties
because it gives people a chance to socialize (who) otherwise would
not have the opportunity,” Oswal said.
Once students got past the greeting pirate at the entrance and
into the house, there were 17 more steps to climb before reaching a
large, multi-room dance floor.
But before they could enter the densely populated dance floor of
students in costume, they would need to pass through shredded cloth
and plastic, a recurring decoration around the house.
Out on the balcony, students found themselves close to a
pump-run waterfall coming out from the floor above them. And while
no one would walk the plank settled on top of the waterfall, hours
of walking, building, lifting and other laborious tasks were done
to construct it.
But the concept of theme parties may not seem as uncommon as the
phrases “ahoy” and “matey.”
Phi Kappa Psi holds its popular annual “Miami Vice”
’80s-themed party, which is only one part of a wider range of
events the house hosts and is involved in, said Phi Kappa Psi
President Jon Reed, a third-year history student.
In addition to parties, fraternities also participate in
philanthropic events a few times per year.
Philanthropy work by Theta Chi includes participation in UCLA
Run/Walk and Relay for Life, as well as an annual charity dinner
which raises $2,000.
While the average of funds raised for charities varies by
quarter based on the number of events participated in, Theta Chi
said it raises about $4,000 each quarter.
SAE also hosted a party themed “Haunted,” in line
with the Halloween festivities.
SAE spent approximately $4,000, inclusive of the more expensive
items such as security and a DJ, said Andrew Bertolli, social chair
and a second-year global studies student.
And when members of SAE are not spending time planning parties,
they volunteer time to philanthropy work. A more popular event,
Elimidance, pooled in about $3,000, said Adam Bierman, a third-year
political science student and member of SAE.
Christopher Burgart, a UCSB alumnus and fraternity brother
living in Theta Chi, was the architect of the ship, and though no
one was inside the ship to act out pirate scenes or yell out
“shiver me timbers,” it sure impressed a lot of
students waiting in line as they would have to eventually walk
under it.