Senior festivities for the Class of 2025 have officially commenced, treating students to Colony Pizza at the Seagrape “Grape” Cafe, early-bird tickets to Fairfield University’s annual President’s Ball and the weekly Naut beach party. Nauts invite seniors each Thursday evening for an exclusive party, commonly seen as a pregame for The Grape.
Last Thursday night, the first Naut took place at Big Blue and Overlook, two beach houses located on Fairfield Beach Road. With a Luau Hawaiian theme, the crowd flaunted everything floral and flowy, enjoying a summer night with live music and eight kegs of beer, cider and Truly Seltzers.
“My first naut experience was really positive,” said Clara Patton ‘25. “I had a great time, I saw so many friends and peers there and everyone seemed to be having a good time.”
Similarly, Carmela Silvia enjoyed the privacy of the event with only her graduating class.
“It was definitely a lot of fun and so special to be able to go to something like that where it’s just your whole class. I think it was definitely worth going and am excited for the ones to follow.”
Each senior interested in attending the Nauts this year was required to Zelle Off-Campus Student Leader (OCL) Colin Richards $75 to pay for provided liquor. After the payment, Richards issued Naut wristbands to attendees outside of Old Post Market.
Wristbands were checked at the party entry to ensure only those who paid could attend.
“Honestly, in comparison to a usual weekend of trying to get on to The Point, I would say that it was not as bad,” Silvia said. “They were checking bands for a good portion of the night, but there was only one police cruiser at the house.”
In light of the stricter restrictions enforced by Fairfield police this semester, the wristband system came across relatively smoothly for students, still allowing a positive experience while remaining safe. Seniors such as Patton and Matt Mauro noticed a definite decrease of officers present than at previous parties this month, such as the White Out. Some, according to Patton, seemed to embrace the student festivity.
“I saw one officer wearing a lei which made me feel better about their attitude toward us being there,” she said “I was pleasantly surprised, supervision has been unreasonably strict this year, but the Naut was able to happen and I’m really grateful for that.”
Patton admitted her feelings of safety offered by the security, and Mauro believes the wristbands are a good method to keep it a senior-only event. Both students, however, relayed that the system of picking up the wristbands in the middle of the day was inconvenient. Pick-up was in the middle of the day, when most students have class, and for only one day. Richards did pass out wristbands the following day for those who could not make it, but only for forty-five minutes.
Furthermore, because of a delay in rubber-wristband delivery, which will last seniors the entire year, last week’s wristbands will need to be reused. According to Richards, rubber wristbands will be delivered on October 1.
Another positive note from Thursday’s Naut was the live band, a group composed of Fairfield students- Robert Paltrineri, Alicia Healy, Matthew Deutsch, Ryan Tobin, Zach Ciampi and Henry Anderson- and known as Half Approved. The band created a more unique experience for Patton compared to more general parties, as did the use of a theme.
Her one negative thought was only having one bathroom for hundreds of students, a circumstance she deemed a “nightmare.”
Silvia, Patton and Mauro all plan to attend the next Naut on Thursday, Sept. 26, which is being hosted by Snug Harbor and with a “rave” theme. The upcoming theme does raise some questions for the latter two, interested in how that switch will change the chiller vibe of last week’s, but are both excited to get creative with it.
In regards to the overall experience, the security presence was reasonable and the outcome was positive for all students—nothing too out of control. And, Silvia has hopes for this event changing security presence at future events this year.
“I hope that we are able to prove to the school and work with them so that we can find a way to enjoy our gatherings throughout the rest of this year,” she said.
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