Wiess announces a MAD new public

By Viola Hsia     10/22/24 10:52pm

Wiess College announced that their new public party theme will be a masquerade. The party will be officially titled “Masquerade After Dark” — MAD for short – according to the announcement made during Wiess’ Oct. 18 FITQ. According to Wiess co-Social Vice President Isabelle Shen, the public is scheduled for Jan. 25. Wiess co-Social Vice President Rocio Gras added that the event will be outdoors.

The announcement comes after Night of Decadence was permanently canceled last summer. NOD was Wiess’s public theme for 50 years, traditionally happening during the weekend closest to Halloween. Shen, a sophomore, said planning for MAD happened immediately after the announcement and Wiess students voted on the new theme beginning June 25.

“We narrowed down to our four top choices that were both appropriate and, we thought, could be fun,” Shen said. “Then we sent out another final form, and basically, Masquerade, our final theme, was voted on the most.”

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According to Shen and Gras, other themes suggested were Roaring ’20s, Aprés Ski-yee and Night at the Museum.

Shen added that — much like how NOD  had annual themes —  MAD’s first theme will be decided by the end of the year.

“It’s exciting to see if we can make something that’ll stick,” Gras, also a sophomore, said. “The fact that we’re trying to put something out there that could possibly stick with Wiess, I think is very exciting.”

Gras said that one of the largest challenges of planning a new public is living up to NOD’s reputation.

“One of the scariest parts is just knowing people are going to compare it to NOD,” Gras said. “That’s what students are going to do. It’s a realistic thing. I think people are going to be unhappy, but we can’t please everybody, so [we’re] just trying to please as many people as possible.”

Both Shen and Gras wanted to clarify that while the masquerade will not require formal attire, the theme will not encourage NOD’s more revealing dress code.

“We, [along with] our magisters, have made it very clear we want to start to steer away from NOD’s history,” Gras said. “It’s not to be sexualized, not to have the same concepts behind it. [We’re] fully starting from scratch.”

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