Cabot Streamlines Party Registration

Partying in Cabot House just got easier.

The introduction of a streamlined “Fast Track” party registration pilot program at the start of the semester means Cabot undergraduates can now register parties on shorter notice and with laxer requirements, expediting the process for registering in-House social events.

In the past, registering a social gathering in Cabot for more than 15 people required multiple physical signatures submitted at least 24 hours in advance. The new system allows Cabot juniors and seniors to fill out a brief Google form any time before the party begins, and requires no staff involvement apart from notifying a designated tutor on call for parties of up to 50 students. Parties exceeding that size are subject to the normal registration process, Cabot House Dean Tiffanie L. Ting wrote in an email announcing the new guidelines.

Last fall, Cabot House Stein Club was held in the Cabot Junior Common Room, a newly renovated social space. By Jessica M. Wang

Ordinarily, students hoping to register parties must fill out extensive forms provided on a House-by-House basis. The standard forms prohibit students under 21 years old from hosting events with alcohol, and requires the signatures of all members of the suite in which a party will be hosted.

Cabot’s pilot, a break from the normal model, does not require students to fill out information regarding age and alcohol consumption—it only asks them to affirm their commitment to responsible drinking. Nor does the new form require signatures.

All suite members must attend a workshop on responsible party-hosting before being added to Cabot's "fast track" party registration list.

Administrators have recently attempted to re-focus undergraduate social life in the Houses. Last semester, Cabot House renovated its Junior Common Room—recently named the “aquarium”—as a hub for House and College-wide social events. Staff in Adams House also created a similar room that students may reserve for private events.

The rollout of Cabot’s new party registration program comes as Rakesh Khurana, Dean of the College and co-Master of Cabot House, criticizes final clubs and students critique the lack of social spaces available on campus.

University President Drew G. Faust has also spoken out against final clubs and committed resources to strengthening social life on campus. During an interview in October, Faust said she had donated a lump sum to the College to fund undergraduate social events, including October’s “[BLANK] party,” a College-wide event hosted by undergraduate women groups.

Cabot’s new policy is similar to the Mather House party registration process, called the “Fast Pass,” which is intended to decrease the time between registering a party with House administrators and the time of the event.

Trevor A. Mullin ’17, co-chair of Mather’s House committee, said students can register parties in Mather any time during the day of the event when using the “Fast Pass” system. At least half of the host room’s residents must attend a preliminary two-hour training session run by the Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors and Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response at the beginning of each year. House staff approval is not required to register Fast Pass parties in Mather.

Neither the Undergraduate Council nor Cabot HoCo were responsible for the initiative, according to Undergraduate Council President Shaiba Rather ’17 and Cabot House Committee Chair Rebecca J. Ramos ’17.

Ting did not respond to a request for comment.

—Staff writer Jalin P. Cunningham can be reached at jalin.cunningham@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @JalinCunningham.