Health Museum to host Esperanza

By Marielle Schweickart     10/22/09 7:00pm

Students will have the opportunity to dust off their prom attire and put their dancing shoes to work at Rice's fall formal, Esperanza, slated to be held Friday, Nov. 13, from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. The dance, put on by the Rice Program Council, will be held at the Health Museum on Hermann Drive, RPC Socials co-Chair Radhika Chhabra said. The location represents a shift from last year's dance, which was held on campus. But the locale is not the only difference this year. Chhabra, who is in charge of formals, said RPC sold 1,000 tickets last year, but will sell just 600 tickets to this year's formal due to the size of the venue. The 600 tickets, costing $15 each, will be distributed to the RPC college representatives Nov. 3.

Two student DJs, whose names have not been released, will provide the music. The dance will be catered by Hungry's Café and Bistro, and will include finger foods, appetizers and a chocolate fountain, Chhabra, a Hanszen College junior, said.

The formal's theme, "Rock Your Body," will be echoed in the museum's current feature, "You: The Exhibit," which will, according to the Health Museum's Web site, "take the museum visitors on a journey to explore their physical selves, mental selves and their future selves [using] the latest multimedia and special effects technology."

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One aspect that will be new this year is that students will be able to tour the exhibits in the museum during the four-hour dance.

The choice to move the dance to the Health Museum was a collective decision made by RPC, Chaabra said.

She said the museum is a stop on the METRO rail, and therefore accessible to students.

"[The Health Museum] is a block off the Hermann circle, so it's really close by," Chhabra said.

The venue also offers several options for free parking for students who choose to drive, either on the street or in the museum's own parking lot.

Chhabra said although many students liked having Esperanza on campus last year, there is no venue to have the dance on campus this year. Last year, the dance was held in a tent provided by the Centennial Campaign, which was hosting a major fundraiser that weekend.

Chhabra said formal tickets will be sold at colleges first, then distributed from the Rice Memorial Center information desk.

The first 100 students to buy tickets will receive free glassware. Students will also be able to buy tickets at the door for $20.

The 600-ticket maximum is a decrease from last year's event, which drew about 1,000 students, due to both location and capacity.

Chhabra explained that last year's dance was an exception given the attendance at past formals.

"In the years past, between 600 and 800 [students] have come [to Esperanza]," Chhabra said. "It was great that we had 1,000 people [last year], but it's really hard to find venues that big off campus, so it's a little bit smaller this year."

Baker College senior and two-time Esperanza attendee Kevin Liu expressed concern that 600 tickets may not be enough for the growing population of students at Rice.

"I feel like a lot of freshmen go to this, so maybe [selling 600 tickets] is not such a good idea," Liu said. "But if it's off campus they're probably thinking that some of them won't go."

Supporting Liu's assumption was Martel College freshman Katie Doody, who does not own a car.

"How would I get there?" Doody said. "I don't have a way to get there."

One complaint Liu had about last year's dance was the limited alcohol options for those of age.

"I thought there was too much food and there were definitely not enough drinks," Liu said.

Because of the open bar, there was always a long line to be served, he said.

To solve the problem of long lines at the bar, this year Chhabra organized a cash bar instead of a prepaid open bar. Students will receive a wristband once at the dance, but will pay the bartender per drink rather than pay a flat fee of $5 before the dance for unlimited drinks, as was the case at last year's dance. According to Chhabra, this will end up being cheaper for most people because the drinks will range from $2 -$4.

Because the METRO rail shuts down at 2 a.m., the time Esperanza ends, RPC will provide a shuttle for students to get back to campus.

As one of the main features of Rice's Homecoming Week, Esperanza will be held the night before the Augustana concert in the Central Quad on Saturday, Nov. 14.

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