This past Thursday night marked an event that Fairfield seniors have been looking forward to for the last three years: the first Naut. “The Naut” is a themed party for seniors that occurs every Thursday night and is hosted voluntarily by seniors who live at the beach. Many seniors, myself included, were buzzing with excitement all day on Thursday in anticipation of attending their first Naut.
So far this school year, the senior class has experienced heightened security and restrictions from the town. Due to previous out-of-hand parties, it is no secret that the town of Fairfield has had many complaints with the senior class. In years past, big events such as SantaCon received intense backlash from Fairfield residents. As the biggest Fairfield party of the year, SantaCon attracts hundreds of party-goers from other universities, which causes this event to escalate in a dangerous way. At SantaCon 2023, 70% of the documented reports were from non-Fairfield U. students. However, because the Naut is a Fairfield seniors-only function and is not open to other schools or class years, I believe that the Naut is the perfect event to allow reasonable senior gatherings while also abiding by town policies.
Senior Colins Richards, who is serving as the Off-Campus Leader (OCL) for Fairfield’s Class of 2025, sent out communication to the entire senior class via GroupMe prior to the Naut on Thursday. He texted everyone about the event’s rules and information, establishing the party hours as 7:30-9:30 p.m. to ensure that students comply with the town’s noise ordinance of 10:00 p.m. Richards also informed the seniors that “there will be a lot of big garbage cans out behind the houses, use those” to avoid litter on the beach. He even noted a residence with younger children living nearby and asked students to “be mindful” of them so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Richards ended the informative message by stating, “let’s be smart tomorrow so that we don’t get ourselves or the hosting houses in trouble. I know I have been looking forward to [the Nauts] since I was a freshman so let’s make them last.” Like Richards, the entire senior class has been anticipating this event for years, so everyone was more than happy to comply with basic rules to make sure that this favorite senior tradition can continue.
Based on the high security which largely prevented a “white-out party” on Labor Day, I was unsure of how the town would react to the Naut. As I approached the two hosting houses for this luau-themed event, two Fairfield police cars were parked outside. The officers stood beside their vehicles, saying hello to students as they entered the party. One of the officers was even wearing a Hawaiian lei to sport the theme, smiling when my friends and I complimented it. I felt that this interaction displayed a mutual respect between the cops and the partygoers, as they served as a precaution to make sure the event did not get out of hand while also wanting the seniors to enjoy their Thursday night.
Once we passed the gate and reached the deck of the houses, we were immediately surrounded by our classmates and closest friends. Head to toe in luau-themed attire, I recognized almost every face that passed by. Usually, it would take a lot of time and phone calls to locate my friends in a big crowd, but this senior-only attendance meant that everywhere I looked I could spot friendly faces and find someone to chat with.
Complete with a band playing on the back deck of the house, Fairfield University seniors could come together, dance to live music and connect with each other in a way we have not experienced before. The community feeling of getting to party and bond with my fellow seniors was such a special moment. We have all been dreaming of this for three years, and the fact that we were able to gather together in a fun way while also being safe was the best first Naut experience I could have asked for.
Fellow seniors echoed my sentiments, as Danny Mayo ‘25 commented, “I felt part of the Fairfield community, and made me really happy to be a stag. These are the things we look forward to all four years.”
Jenna LaRochelle ‘25 shares, “I thought it was super fun and I loved that there was live music. I also think that as a group overall people were very respectful about leaving at the 9:30 end time.”
Senior Heather Hodgkins says that the Naut “is a great way for seniors to get together and have a fun time.” She expresses that “we as seniors have been looking forward to the Nauts since we were freshmen, and we are so happy we are able to have them.”
Senior Andrew Caslin also adds that “the first Naut was well put together and well executed. There’s definitely a sense of camaraderie and school spirit when events like these are thought out in advance.”
For the Class of 2025, the last time we were seniors looked a lot different. When smiles were covered by masks and hugs of hello were forbidden, it was near impossible to feel connected to those in our graduating class. Four years later, finally getting the senior year experience that we have all been craving—without warranting backlash from the town—feels all the more special.
The senior class pulled this party off exceptionally. Because the Naut is senior-only, it is so much more manageable to comply with town rules and ensure that the gathering doesn’t get out of hand. This allows seniors to enjoy their parties safely while respecting the Fairfield community and residents. Based on the first Naut experience, Thursday night is quickly becoming my favorite time of the week!
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