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BY ELENA CHOPYAK

In print | August 28, 2007

When the weekend rolls around, or when you can no longer bear McCabe (whichever comes first), Swarthmore offers a surprisingly wide array of nightlife options for such a small campus. Between the private and SAC-funded parties and concerts scattered throughout campus, party-hearty students can find plenty of ways to occupy their evenings.

Paces

On Fridays and Saturdays, Paces converts its student-run cafe into a dance floor. From 10pm to 2am, students can dance the night away to hip-hop, reggaeton, and other beats spun by the DJ of the hour. Students man the bar, pouring rum and coke or screwdriver concoctions; however, alcohol, though often free, is not funded by the college and is not always a guarantee.

Depending on the party and the hour, Paces can be packed to its full capacity, ensuring a sticky, sweaty proximity with fellow Swatties, interrupted intermittently when someone accidentally, but inevitably, brushes against the light switch or sets off the fire alarm.

Lily Ng ’08 described Paces as “generally a big enough space for dancing, but small enough so that you can easily go to the DJ to request a song or get something to drink. And if the party turns out to be bad, you can hang out with your friends in the game room or other parts of Tarble.”

Typically, IC groups, I-20 and other student groups host parties in Paces and Olde Club. However, by fulfilling the Office of Student Activities’ requirements for throwing a party, you can host a party yourself.

Olde Club

Olde Club is an eclectic, three-level venue for parties and concerts alike. With its two floors and balcony, Olde Club facilitates varying party needs. A small balcony allows people to watch the concerts from above or to spot party-goers dancing on the main floor. Refreshments are served in the basement where people can repose from dancing and socialize on Olde Club’s couches. “These parties can be a lot of fun because you can actually talk to people and hear them,” Linda Huang ’08 said.

For those looking for a break from the nightclub scene, Olde Club is also home to concerts thrown by talented Swattie musicians. Students can also enjoy performances by burgeoning rock, hip-hop and electronica musicians from off-campus. Huang describes Olde Club concerts as “really, really fun if you’re into new music or just appreciate the diversity of sounds out there. We got Broken Social Scene in Spring 2004 and Nirvana in Spring 1990, right before they shot to stardom.”

Fraternities

Delta Upsilon and Phi Psi, located between the Faulkner tennis courts and Sharples Dining Hall, host both SAC- and independently-funded parties.

Both fraternity houses create an all-in-one place for students to dance, drink and socialize.

Nearly every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the DU house is a place of rest and relaxation from the rigors of academic life, open to the brothers, friends and passers-by. “Downstairs there are always a few fun games going on, as well as a few simple conversations occurring over the music being played,” DU Social Committee Co-Chair Christopher Compton ’09 said.

Phi Psi President Adam Winegar ’08 characterized the Phi Psi house as “an open place where everyone is welcomed free of charge.” When the Phi Psi house transforms from a fraternity to a collegiate nightclub setting, the main floor functions as a dance floor, which in size, rivals that of Paces and Olde Club.

College parties are not limited to the aforementioned venues. The Women’s Resource Center, Mary Lyons dormitory and Upper Tarble are home to a few parties during the year.

Even the party-weary can be spotted at Swarthmore’s major parties, the semi-annual formals, the Halloween party, Sager, DU’s Margaritaville and Phi Psi’s Heaven and Hell party. Also, be prepared to bump into a few Haverford and Bryn Mawr students on campus looking for some weekend fun.

If you are in search of a change of scenery, Swarthmore students with Tri-co IDs are welcome at Haverford and Bryn Mawr parties. Otherwise, Philadelphia’s nightlife awaits younumerous lounges, restaurants, bars and clubs from which to choose.

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