100 Days counts down to graduation with party

By Sana Yaklur     1/23/13 6:00pm

 

On Jan. 31, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., students will celebrate the beginning of the 100-day countdown to graduation at 100 Days, a party hosted by Rice's Senior Committee, which will take place at Hughes Hangar, according to 100 Days Committee Chair Claire Garney. 

"100 Days is celebrated because it is a way to get people excited about graduation and also emphasize the value placed on friendships that have been made over the past four years," Garney, a Baker College senior, said. "It's a way to have one more party with your best friends before you leave Rice. It is also a chance for an event that is similar to a public party but held off campus." 

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100 Days is not exclusively for seniors, according to Garney. 

"The gastro-lounge [Hughes Hangar] is opening its doors to 18-year-olds," Garney said. "This year, we are really pushing for the underclassmen to come." 

According to Senior Committee Chair Julianne Roberson, the celebration is a good way for underclassmen to see what Houston has to offer. 

The Senior Committee is a fundraising group composed of senior representatives that puts on other events throughout the year like Senior Toast in the fall and Senior Gala in the spring, according to Roberson. 

Based on numbers from previous years, about 800 people are expected to attend, according to Garney. However, the budget for this year's 100 Days was higher than that of previous years. 

"Due to an increase in safety concerns, we felt the need to hire more buses to transport students, more police officers, and we were unable to work with [Rice Emergency Medical Services] and instead hired an outside ambulance service to staff the event," Garney said. 

The senior committee hopes to make a small profit from the event, which would go toward Senior Gala, Garney and Roberson, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. 

To get students to the event, the senior committee will be offering a bus service to and from Hughes Hangar, Garney said. 

Students can buy tickets to 100 Days from their college representatives at lunch or online until the day of the event. Tickets bought in advance cost $20, and tickets at the door cost $25. VIP tickets, available for those over 21 years of age, cost $35. According to Garney, being a VIP comes with a lot of perks. 

"VIP tickets will get you a special area and dance space," Garney said. "Throughout this space, you will have cocktail servers running around so you don't have to wait in line at your special bar. Also, you are able to get on an earlier bus reserved for VIP ticket holders that will arrive at the venue in order to have more time before the crowds. One last perk is that we will have a raffle from among the VIP tickets." 

According to Roberson, Hughes Hangar is the best part of the celebration. 

"The venue is really cool: It has an indoor space and a huge outdoor patio," Roberson said. "The way that the club is laid out is really special. It's different from what most Rice students are used to." 

Duncan College senior Drew Moore said he agreed that the venue is a draw. 

"I'm excited that it will be a venue on Washington Street, which is where most of Houston's night life is," he said. "Rice kids always choose Midtown over Washington, unfortunately." 

Moore has not gone to 100 Days in previous years, but he will go this year, he said. 

"My friends didn't go in previous years, so I didn't either, but I did want to go last year, but couldn't," he said. "Being a senior factors into the decision to go this year." 

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