Traditions have been slipping through the fingers of Fairfield students for the past several years. This year two seniors have refused to let that happen.
For many years the Student Beach Resident Association (SBRA) organized a yearlong event called “the Naut.”
For students living in the Fairfield beach area, this meant that four nights a week a set house hosted a party for the all student beach residents, complete with a keg and other assorted alcoholic beverages.
With the removal of events such as Mock Wedding and Clam Jam and the ever-so-apparent injunction at Lantern Point, the SBRA is no longer allowed to host events with the sole purpose of drinking alcohol.
For John Seylar ’07, traditions were a huge reason he chose Fairfield.
“A lot of my family went to Fairfield,” he said. “And [the traditions] are what they remembered about this school.”
With the SBRA no longer allowed to produce such events, The Naut was just another tradition to add to the list of those taken away from Fairfield students.
That is, until seniors Megan Kiefer and Lindsay Walsh took it upon themselves to organize the Naut for the 2006-2007 academic year.
“It seems like the only way any traditions are going to continue at Fairfield is if a few students put it together and, I guess for the Naut, me and Lindsay are it,” Kiefer said.
Kiefer and Walsh, who are not directly involved in the SBRA, asked student beach residents in an e-mail if they wanted to participate in the Naut. Participating students were asked to contribute $40 to purchase kegs and to select which night they would host other students.
But as much as students do not want traditions to die, this request seemed a lot to ask.
“It’s really hard to get over 700 students together,” Kiefer said. “Especially considering everyone has crazy schedules and about $10 in their bank accounts.”
Kiefer, however, is not worried.
“So many people have shown interest regardless,” she said. “Nobody wants to be part of the class that kills the Naut.”
The class of 2007 is ready to keep the tradition going, but still has concerns about hosting parties. According to Kiefer, interested students have inquired about the 11 p.m. noise ordinance.
Andrea Mangione ’07 is frustrated with the ordinance and what it means for the Naut.
“I hate that we have to rush to the Grape at 11 p.m. because the cops are just waiting to knock on the door,” she said. “But out of respect of the house hosting, leaving at 11 p.m. is understandable. No one wants to get arrested.”
Kiefer noted that in the past few weeks, relations between students and residents in the area have been looking up.
“No one seems to really have had any problems lately with getting arrested or with Lantern Point security,” she said.
Through Walsh’s efforts and her own, Kiefer looks forward to the Naut bringing the class together and is happy to have taken on the task.
“I hope the Naut can just be another reason for all the seniors to get drunk together and have a good time,” she said.
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