On no other Saturday could you see students traversing the Townhouse green dressed in togas, riding camels or donning traditional kimonos. At this year’s Around the World event, student travelers experienced both familiar and foreign attractions to the Fairfield tradition.

The event is hosted at the Townhouses where each unit adopts a country and celebrates with culturally appropriate costumes and sometimes liquor.

However, this year’s Around the World was the first to be sponsored by the university.

In conjunction with Director of Residence Life Ophelie Rowe-Allen, Madison Nawalinski ‘16 and Gianna Anastasio ‘16 coordinated the Around the World in order to ensure the event’s future.

Anastasio and Nawalinski, next year’s co-presidents of the Beach Resident Advocacy Group, both wanted to start off their presidency terms on good notes with a successful event, which they attributed in part to working with the university.

This year’s Around the World saw several changes. Students’ travel plans were limited to the green between the Townhouses 8, 9 and 10 blocks as it was fenced off. To gain entrance to the area, students were asked to bring two forms of ID and would be given a wristband upon admittance to denote students over and under the age of 21. Additionally, those Fairfield staff members distributing wristbands also had junior and senior class lists, which limited the event to Fairfield upperclassmen.

“We didn’t want [the event] to get blown up with freshmen and sophomores,” said Anastasio. She continued to say that this event was “for the junior class to enjoy,” referencing how the seniors have Mock Wedding, making Around the World the junior class event.

Nawalinski echoed that statement, hoping that the underclassmen would “respect the event and not make it a hard time.”

Nawalinski hoped for the same cooperation from the class of 2016, expecting them to act responsibly and to be “amazing stags,” which they stressed in an email sent to the junior class.

To guarantee that the event would run smoothly, security was posted around the parameters of the event because of growing concerns of the event’s history of excessive drinking and property damage. However, whereas last year’s Around the World failed to secure university sponsorship, this year’s event was able to benefit from the university’s funds, which was used to provide a BBQ for students.

Overall, student response to the changes made to Around the World were positive. Junior Brittney Wright stated, “I think that the University did a good job in their efforts to control the event. I really like that they let us come and go as we pleased, especially because if they hadn’t I would’ve definitely felt confined by the fence.”

Other students commented on the atmosphere an event like Around the World creates. Junior Ty Parks said he likes “the community, hanging out, dressing like an idiot and buying stupid decorations I’m never going to use again.”

The student reaction to Around the World is what motivated Anastasio and Nawalinski to collaborate with the university this year to make the event a success.

“We want this event to last,” Anastasio said.

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