Freshmen to participate in first ever `Domer Fest'
By ERIN LaRUFFA
Assistant News Editor
In past years, freshmen in white T-shirts carrying magic markers flocked to Stepan Center on the Saturday night of Freshman Orientation.
This year, however, no markers are allowed. The traditional Graffiti Dance has been transformed into the Domer Fest.
"We've changed the ice-breaking activity, but there's still a dance," said Peggy Hnatusko, assistant director of programs for the Office of Student Activities.
At the Graffiti Dance, first-year students wore white T-shirts and wrote their names and telephone numbers on the shirts of other freshmen, primarily those of the opposite sex. Few students actually danced.
At the new event, freshmen will receive booklets to obtain signatures for a contest to see who can get the most within a certain time period. Organizers have also planned door prizes and a Notre Dame trivia contest. A better sound system and a video screen will improve the quality of the dance itself, said Hnatusko.
For students who do not want to dance or participate in ice-breakers, there will be alternative activities such as carnival-style games. All of the activities, which take place in beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday in Stepan Center, are free of charge.
There were several reasons administrators canceled the Graffiti Dance. Some students expressed concern that men and women were being put on display. Others felt that having people sign their shirts was a form of sexual harassment, and females in particular felt that males were signing their shirts in inappropriate places.
Students also complained that some freshmen used what Hnatusko called "a double standard of markers," asking people they liked to sign in one color marker and people they did not like to sign in a different color. Other students were writing fake names or phone numbers on other people's shirts. In addition, some freshmen felt excluded because of their physical appearance.
"We had received numerous complaints about the Graffiti Dance. From the feedback we received from students, [we realized] there wasn't good relationship-building there," said David Moss, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
Dorm representatives known as Campus-Wide Orientation Commissioners worked with Student Activities to create the new event and will help run it Saturday night.
Some students, however, did enjoy the Graffiti Dance and are upset that the tradition has ended.
"When I heard the Grafitti Dance was being changed, I was disappointed," said sophomore Katherine Karrat, who attended last year's event. "I think all the hype about it before the dance made it seem even more exciting. I thought it was a unique way to meet the guys."
"I thought the idea of the different color pens was not cool and just the initial mentality of the Graffiti Dance was not great — throwing guys and girls together, getting numbers, etc," said sophomore Christine Bryant. "But I think the idea of meeting new people is cool, and that can be done at the Graffiti Dance, so that's why I liked it."
Bryant said that she enjoyed the dance but admitted that she did not become friends with many of the people she met there.
"Though I met a lot of people at the Graffiti Dance and then forgot their names, it was cool to see where everyone was from and what they were studying and just to get a feel for the people we would be spending the next four years with," Bryant said.
Planners hope that all participants will feel included and comfortable, said Hnatusko. Organizers looked for a way for students to meet one another without feeling as though they are part of a "meat market," Moss said, alluding to the way one student described the Graffiti Dance.
Moss said that no one is sure whether Domer Fest will be a success.
"Our goal is not to mandate what we do, but to always refine what we do," Moss said. "We are continuously trying to find ways to make people feel included. Any feedback we get will go into next year's plans."
Hnatusko said she hopes the different activities will help students overcome their reluctance to introduce themselves to new people.
"It's such a valuable tool to get first-year students to meet each other," she said.
As in years past, students primarily walk to Stepan from their residence halls, and many halls have already planned to walk over with their brother or sister dorms. Event planners would also like students to wear their hall T-shirts to demonstrate dorm pride, according to Hnatusko.
Although this is the only official Freshman Orientation event scheduled for Saturday night, students are not required to attend.
All News Stories for Saturday, August 19, 2000
