Superhero-themed NOD to have contest, burritos

By Jocelyn Wright     10/23/08 7:00pm

Get ready to show off those washboard abs you've been working on all semester. This year, Wiess College's annual Halloween party, Night of Decadence, will take place tomorrow at 10 p.m. in the Wiess Commons. The theme is KryptoNOD: Horny Heroes and Villainous Vixens. Tickets cost $8 dollars in advance and $10 dollars at the door, and T-shirts are also available for $10. Wiess Socials Brett Wakefield and Becky Leven said they are expecting 1,200 to 1,500 people to attend. Last year, 1,391 showed up to the party, almost half the total number of undergraduates. There will be nine Rice University police officers, approximately 120 student security personnel, Emergency Medical Service volunteers on hand and three carts to transport people back to their colleges at the end of the evening organized by the College Assistance Peer Program.

Leven said Wiess charges for NOD tickets because it an expensive party to plan.

"It takes approximately $12,000 to throw NOD, which is a lot more expensive than any of the other parties," Leven said.

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Though some of these funds are channeled toward food and decorations, the majority of the cost pays for security and medical services. RUPD and REMS each charge several thousand dollars for NOD because it is a large and notorious party, Wakefield said.

This year, a costume contest will take place at 10:30 p.m. in the commons. First place winners will receive $75 and second place winners will receive $25. The contest will be judged by Wiess President Bo Qiu, Brown College President John Land and Wiess junior Kristen Hallberg. Leven said the judges will narrow the contestants down to five or six people and then decide the winner based on a final catwalk. He said those interested in participating should arrive by 10 pm to get their bracelets.

Wiess junior Kevin Johnson, a professional DJ who worked at NOD last year, will be DJing again this year. In the commons, there will be club lighting, a fog machine, a shadow box and dancing poles. There will be many superhero-themed decorations as well, like a Batman-style spotlight and a "Fortress of Sexitude," inspired by Superman's original Fortress of Solitude. Leven said she and Wakefield are following a neon, kryptonite-based color scheme for decorations. There will be food including burritos from Mission Burrito and pizza from Domino's Pizza in the Acabowl, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks in the commons.

Although last year there were concerns that students could wander into construction sites, Leven said she and Wakefield are less concerned about construction this year because there are currently no sites at or around Wiess. Nonetheless, RUPD Captain Phil Hassell said there will be security at the construction sites around campus to make sure students do not wander in.

"There is dangerous stuff there, more so this year than last year," Hassell said.

Hassell said that other than the construction sites, he has no major security concerns.

"Wiess does a good job of getting ready for the party," Hassell said. "From what I understand, they've been working hard at it. This is one of the parties that's well planned.

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