February 18, 2015 / Volume XXXVII / Issue I
On Feb. 21, Pei Campus will once again be host to one of New College’s most enduring traditions: the Palm Court Party (PCP). This time around, however, thesis student and PCP sponsor Taylor Barton is looking to update some elements of the event for the better.
“The idea was to democratize the process,” Barton said.
In the past, the winning theme would use all the funding even though it received less than 30 percent of the popular vote.
“That didn’t seem right,” Barton continued. “We decided to give second and third place a third of the budget so that everybody could have at least one of the themes that they wanted be expressed in the decorations.”
“Choose Your Own Adventure” holds the slot for the overall theme. The Black Box Theater will be Tron-themed, complete with a DJ booth, and the Nook will be the “Garden of Earthly Delights,” adorned with paintings, fruits, and, yes, a giant strawberry. Palm Court, the “Center of the Universe,” will be transformed with a Sailor Moon theme that includes space projections on the walls. There will also be bands in the Old Mail Room.
Barton supported the new PCP organization. The pressure of planning the large-scale event is spread across multiple teams rather than one, which has helped with each delegation’s accountability. “[With] having the other teams be involved there’s a hint of, not competition, but that everyone is holding up their end of the bargain. No one wants to be the least involved person, the least committed person, so everybody stays in it,” Barton said. “I think it’s working out well.”
Another new addition to Saturday’s PCP is the inclusion of not one, but two chill-out rooms. “It is the first I have ever heard of it happening,” Barton said.
Barton described one as the “medium chill room” in HCL 7 where students will still have the opportunity to take part in activities. The other will be in the Prayer and Meditation room, which will play ambient music in a dim, quiet, and purely chill atmosphere.
PCP wristbands will be available in Hamilton Center on Wednesday, Feb. 18th from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 20th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.