Extended Party Hours Will Likely Remain in Place

After a trial period last year, official House parties without alcohol can run until 2 a.m. this year as well, pending approval by the City of Cambridge.

The House Masters’ Committee voted quietly last week to approve the extended party hours.

The Undergraduate Council’s push for a 2 a.m. end to events in dining halls—like Pfoho 54 and the upcoming Sinthrop (formerly known as Chastity or Debauchery)—resulted in controversy and confusion last year as it wound its way through college and local bureaucracy.

The council campaigned for months before the longer party hours received approval by the City.

But this year, the extended hours seem to have slid easily into permanence with little fanfare.

“I’d say the change is probably in force until further notice, but could still be revoked if problems arise,” wrote Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 in an e-mail.

Eliot House Master Lino Pertile said the subject came up for only a few minutes at last week’s meeting.

“I think it was accepted, but on the conditions that we had last year,” Pertile said.

According to Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson, who is chair of the Masters’ Committee, approval was unanimous but the policy is still provisional because they have not received approval from the Cambridge License Commission.

“It’s a no-brainer. It’s something that passed very easily and has the approval of the dean,” Hanson said. “Because of the City of Cambridge, [later hours] have to be approved each year, so I think that it’s just in the nature of things that this is not something we can commit to in perpetuity.”

Prior to enactment last year, the 2 a.m. deadline faced hurdles not only from the Masters’ Committee but also from the City of Cambridge itself, which required a lengthy permit process.

Cambridge still has to approve the extended party hours for this year, but Hanson said he expects the process will not be too arduous.

“Harvard is seeking to get authorization, which should be very easy to do... I’m told that the City of Cambridge will comply,” Hanson said.

Jordan W. Webb ’03, who has served as co-president of the Winthrop House Committee, said House parties that end at 2 a.m. rather than 1 a.m. offer students an alternative to drinking.

“If you’re somebody who doesn’t drink, your bars and everything are all sort of alcohol geared, there’s no central student gathering,” Webb said. “I can see that as being tough on someone who doesn’t drink.”

Webb said Winthrop held two social events last year that ended at 2 a.m. and “each time it worked very well.”