Mudd Prepares for Maddness

CMCers may get the reputation of being more frequent party goers but it's hard to make the argument we throw better parties than our neighbors to the north.  Whether they feature  a crowd of co-eds under a waterfall or snow on the ground in Southern California, Harvey Mudd's parties always seem to push the envelope. In the fall semester, the mainstays of the Mudd party circuit were highly successful, with the Foam Party, Long Tall Glasses, and Casemas all drawing hundreds of students from all five colleges, making them some of the premier events of the social calendar.  Now, North Dorm hopes to bring the same scale and resources to a new event: Mudd Goes Madd. The plan?  Deck the North Dorm courtyard out like the lair of a mad scientist.  With a host of science themed decorations and music provided by perennial favorite DJ, Mixed Reactions, the Mudd Goes Madd Party is slated for this Saturday evening.  But an event of this caliber doesn't simply invent itself.  For that, much of the task fell to Harvey Mudd freshman Julius Elinson, who along with Jonathan Schwartz and a score of friends navigated the hassles of bureaucracy and fundraising to bring the plan to fruition.

"Mad scientists. It felt so right," said Elinson, "It was surprising we hadn't already done something like this."

The challenges of preparation can be hard for the uninitiated to appreciate.   Elinson began taking care of the laborious process required to hold an event this elaborate early in December.  There were several stages to the ordeal, beginning with budgeting.  Funds were needed to pay for alcohol, decorations, and music.  The social board had to grant approval, and then came the waiting.  As the 5C student governments gave funding to the event, Elinson had to be patient as his proposals were slowly accepted by all 5 colleges.  "At Pitzer, I went to three different groups, there was some miscommunication, and I wound up having to go back a second or third time," he explained, adding that all colleges contributed to the party funding, though some schools were more generous than others.

To help cover the cost of the party, Elinson and his co-conspirators also sold condoms in custom-designed wrappers at the Hoch-Shanahan Dining Hall at Harvey Mudd.  Available in a variety of bundles, the condoms have been wildly successful.  "The general idea is t-shirts and shot glasses [at most parties], but we thought, 'What's cooler than a custom condom?'" said Elinson, who touted the merchandise as both humorous and useful.

The turnout could be fantastically high, with over 1100 students RSVPing as attending on the Facebook event and the party will occur regardless of weather, as the students have plans to cover the courtyard in the case of rain.  It's comforting to know that regardless of what happens come Saturday night, the Mudders have made arrangements to keep us protected.