Editorial | Practical planning

For most freshmen, NSO is a time to travel in hall-sized groups, stumble down Spruce, drink too much jungle juice and figure out the stereotypes that define each fraternity house (and to figure out how to pronounce Greek lettering).

But that is obviously not the way everyone envisions spending their first nights away from home, and the Undergraduate Assembly is right to acknowledge this fact through their creation of late-night alternatives. The timing is particularly opportune, as the InterFraternity Council is pushing to allow frats to host registered parties during NSO. Ostensibly this will increase safety at parties, but it also means that freshmen, particularly those who have not yet celebrated their 18th birthdays, will have a more-difficult time getting into parties because they don't have the official ID needed for a registered party. Alternative programming could help fill this void.

While this is a good idea in theory, late-night programming will likely prove to be a much different case in practice. NSO is a near-cemented Penn tradition, and plenty of houses throw parties as well. Even students who don't become regulars on the party circuit venture out during NSO just to see what it's like. Any programming funded by student dollars needs to be sure to appeal to a wide variety of students to succeed, and it needs to engage enough upperclassmen so that freshmen will attend.

For concerts, artist choice should be similar to the process undergone at Spring Fling: surveys and focus groups to help guide the selection. Especially in today's economy, alternative fee-funded programming - when many students already enjoy the unofficial offerings - must be well-attended.

The idea is promising, but it must pay off.

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