Pre-SYR Antics Delight; Dance Disappoints
By Adam Freed
A&F Staff Writer

Giant cereal boxes, half-naked strippers, and a crocodile hunter. It must be SYR. On Friday, September 27, hundreds of ornately dressed sagehens filed into Frank Dining Hall to get matched up with their dates for the annual “Screw Your Roommate” dinner and dance. The excitement began as MC Yohanse Serrant ‘03 stood up and announced the formal opening of the ceremonies.

From then on, students dressed in a range of costumes mounted a cafeteria table and declared whom they were looking for.

One boy dressed as Tarzan stood up and demanded to see Jane. Another student dressed up as a creepy old man and asked for a girl to take his candy. Musicians also made a strong appearance, with students playing guitars, banjoes, piccolos, and singing to call their partners to them.

One of the events drawing the most awe and enthusiasm involved an imitation “Crocodile Hunter.” Clad as the well-known-Australian, Chris Dubois ‘06 demanded to see a crocodile. When a girl dressed as a crocodile approached, Dubois impetuously leapt from the table and tackled her. “Crik!” exclaimed Dubois. “Any excuse for tackling a girl is fine by me.”

Galen Benshoofr‘06, dressed as a streaker, also made a memorable appearance with a limerick he recited. Benshoof wore an oversized coat and appeared to be wearing nothing underneath, but was actually wearing tight shorts and just “didn’t tell anyone that.” These acts among others broinspiredoarious laughter around the room.The dinner, says Benshoof, was “highly disorganized, crowded, and chaotic.”

Frank served a few vegetarian dishes, a watered-down slab of meat, and my personal favorite, the Vegan Surprise, which one of the chefs said got its name because it would be a surprise if anyone could keep it down. Chris Dempsey ‘05 remarked the cafeteria staff “should’ve done something special for dinner knowing most of the school would be there.”

Turnout at the dance itself was low. This was the first year that the dance was held in Edmunds Ballroom instead of Seaver Theater. “The dance was a perfect example of a good idea gone wrong,” Dempsey said. “It should’ve been outside and it should’ve been less expensive.”

Tickets cost $8 for couples and $5 for a single. Many couples opted for other activities. Ben-shoof avoided the dance because of the cost. “If I were running [SYR] I wouldn’t charge for a dance. It seems like a pretty high school idea,” he said.

Sophomore Brian Garvey hopes for a better, cheaper dance next year. “Watching your friends make total asses out of themselves in front of the school is always fun,” he said, “but the dance was definitely lacking this year.”

Nonetheless, SYR is still viewed as a highlight of first semester and it always brings interesting stories.

And the crocodile hunters throughout the school would whole-heartedly agree.