For incoming freshmen, Fall Ball is a Tufts rite of passage. The event has the potential to be a blast, but there's just one problem: actually getting into the venue.
The execution of Fall Ball has changed in recent years, with each new iteration fixing previous problems while presenting new ones. After the 2008 event was marked by overcrowding and raucous behavior, the Tufts Community Union Senate capped attendance at 2,500 students. However, this resulted in long lines at the campus center. The move to an online ticketing system was meant to alleviate the lines, but work still needs to be done to make Fall Ball all that it can be.
Because of construction, attendees were funneled through a single doorway in Cousens Gym and had to exit the same way. While maintaining a single entrance addresses security concerns, it also created a massive human traffic jam outside of the doors. Contributing to this was the fact that event staff did not have enough ticket scanners to scan people in effectively.
But before students could even line up outside the doors, they first had to get tickets. While students were notified via email that tickets would be available online, incoming freshmen are bombarded with information and this notice could easily have been lost in the Orientation shuffle.
When tickets sold out, many students turned to high-priced scalped tickets of questionable legality. Freshmen, who felt the most pressure not to miss Fall Ball, were probably the most likely to purchase tickets for amounts normally reserved for sporting events. TuftsLife was filled with announcements made by students trying to sell their free tickets for up to $100.
While it's not ideal that attendance be capped at Fall Ball, a few changes can make next year's event the one that organizers have been striving to create for the past three years. Better advertising to students about ticketing is a necessity. Also, because freshmen likely value attending Fall Ball more than other students, perhaps they should be given a head start on getting tickets online.
Hopefully, the completion of construction of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center will create a better entrance for next year. In addition, organizers have already said they plan to use more ticket scanners at future events.
They've shown the desire to correct past mistakes, so maybe next year's Fall Ball can finally live up to its promise.
