There is no better venue than Memorial Court and the Inner Quad for a fancy dinner, and the Alumni Association rolled out the red carpet and pulled out all the stops last Thursday for the event. Wine flowed freely, and the food was extraordinary. I don't even want to guess how much that dinner cost the Association. But, of course, they know it's a necessary investment in our school spirit, ensuring that the alumni donations flow just as freely. I'm all for it.

The only hitch to the event -- otherwise executed perfectly down to the last detail -- was the disastrous decision to not pre-assign seating at the dinner tables. So students gamed it and tried to be the first in line to grab a table and sit with their friends. Instead of listening to President Hennessy's speech and Dean Julie's brilliant appeal to school spirit (which I did catch the end of when I moved closer to the speakers), students rushed to be first in line for the tables. As you can see in the video below, everyone was so concerned about getting the perfect table that no one even cared to quiet down enough so that at least Hennessy and Dean Julie could be heard over the crowd. It was a real shame that they were so baldly disrespected... but then, again, there wasn't a whole lot that could be done for groups that wanted to sit together. They had to game it. Next time, how about coordinating seating arrangements ahead of time? And, seniors, how about showing these important figureheads a little respect?

Continue reading for more pictures of the event.