Anna Odell ’27
Social Media Manager
Surprise! Scripps hosted its first evening party of the school year on Jan. 27 following their successful day party from last semester, Tomorrowland. The Enchanted Forest party showcased the ways Scripps has been more involved in campus life activities.
“A big recent goal of SAS has been to rejuvenate the party/event scene at Scripps,” Vice President of Student Affairs Melina Durre ’25 said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have as much funding as the other schools, and therefore are usually not able to throw more than one 5C event per semester.”
When there was a large portion of the budget remaining after the Tomorrowland event, SAS Events Chair Sarah Paper ’25 took on the task of putting something together. “I wanted to plan another event within the restrictions of SAS’s large-scale events requiring 10-12 weeks in preparation,” she said.
“It was merely a matter of approval from administration to use the Balch Auditorium, acquire some extra money, and purchase decorations,” Durre said. The party was held in Balch Auditorium, which SAS members decorated with multicolored lights and outdoor decorations. Face painting and various snacks were also offered, including cupcakes, Domino’s pizza, and garlic knots.
Scripps students were required to fill out a form to RSVP for the party, which wasn’t openly accessible to other 5C students. Students from other campuses who wished to attend had to have a Scripps student register them as a guest, indicated on the form, and only one guest per student was allowed.
This was an administrative decision to enforce the capacity of the venue and keep the event as safe as possible. SAS also encouraged people to wear formal attire, although it was not required or enforced. This formal attire was inspired by a separate event by Family (the LGBTQ+ affinity group).
Unsurprisingly, the party started slowly but ramped up right before 11 p.m. when more people began arriving. Balch quickly filled with students and many wore dresses or other versions of formalwear.
“I thought it was one of Scripps’ best events of the year so far,” Chloe Maher ’27 said. “It was very well put on, and the decor as well as the lighting was great. I really enjoyed how the event was aimed for Scripps students, and I hope to see more of these events.”
Working with the DJs was important for SAS, and the organizers’ involvement was crucial for the music that played. The team quickly got in contact with individual DJs and a DJ company.
“I was really proud of my set, I was proud of the music that I chose, and proud of the way I performed,” Isa Bravo PZ ’26, one of the DJs for the party, said. “I also really loved working with SAS; I think I was really pleasantly surprised at their professionality. They really treated us like talent.”
SAS hopes to hold more than one of these events per semester moving forward. “Myself and the rest of the SAS events team truly want to provide optimal and consistent event experiences here at Scripps,” Paper said.
Paper also hopes that these events open the community’s eyes to even more possibilities of what event life at Scripps could look like. “With the current policy that authorizes SAS as the only group on campus able to host parties of any size and with our current inability to provide a consistent event scene here, it has created a culture at Scripps where students are afraid to host spontaneous gatherings or feel the need to leave our campus for these opportunities,” Paper said. “I hope the Scripps community, both its students and its administrators, continue to think critically about how our event and student life policies encourage and discourage community congregation and connectivity.”
Image Source: Ava Kolblik ‘26
