The traditional “40s on 40” event is canceled, but some seniors remained ambivalent about the news.
On Friday, the 2010 class presidents from the four undergraduate student councils announced the end of the “40s on 40” tradition—where seniors from all four schools drink on Low Steps to celebrate the 40 days left before graduation—citing budget restraints and negative feedback about the event from past students. While one group said they would keep the tradition alive in an underground version of the event, other graduating seniors said they wre not bothered by the cancellation.
According to Columbia College Student Council class of 2010 President Cliff Massey, members of the four councils sat down at the beginning of last summer to “have a discussion about the year ahead and what we wanted to see and do, invariably the ‘40s on 40’ came up.”
Massey said that after drawing up a list of pros and cons of the event, the cons greatly outweighed the number of benefits. He noted that alumni who held and participated in the tradition were contacted and gave overwhelmingly negative feedback. “We were really unhappy with the way the event turned out for the past two years,” Massey said.
A large factor in the decision was cost. The administrators estimated a total cost of $20,000, most of which, Massey said, would be spent on putting up fences that are used to section off the area for drinking. Administrators would only give the event the green light with a number of stipulations, including wrist-bands and the fence construction, which along with labor fees comprised the bulk of the costs.
Heather Lee, Engineering Student Council class of 2010 president, expressed similar reservations. “Especially from the SEAS point of view, we really don’t have that kind of money. Only 30 percent of their class [2009] showed up last year—a lot of money that we don’t have would be spent on a limited number of students,” Lee said.
Other logistical problems arose during last year’s event according to Student Government Association 2010 president Chelsea Zimmerman.
“It seemed like there were a lot more negative comments from students than positive—for instance, there was quite a line to get into the senior playpen last year, they conducted bag searches, and there was one drink per hour. A lot of students complained that they were caged in with the fence set up,” Zimmerman said.
Sharona Kahn, BC ’10, said she thinks the senior class’s money should be spent elsewhere. “Drinking in a fenced off area of the steps … it sounds like money could be better spent,” said Kahn.
Massey said a large part of the money that would have been spent on the “40s on 40” event was allotted instead to improve events such as the Winter Gala and provide better beverage selections at Lerner Pub.
An email sent out this weekend from the group Senior Underground, alleged that an unofficial “40s on 40” event will be held in lieu of the official one.
Some seniors said that they wanted the event to remain unofficial. “I think it’s one of those things where when it was an unauthorized, organic event, it was much better than the sanitized version of it,” Lindsay Griffith, BC ’10, said.
“I don’t think the school should run it. It would be quieter and less fun,” Drew Abeyta, CC ’10, agreed.
According to Massey, the student councils are uninvolved with plans for an unofficial “40s on 40.”
Massey and Lee say that some of the money that would be spent on the event will be put instead toward an outdoor barbecue, which is scheduled for late April or early May.
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