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DSU’s Halloween Pub Night “a Success”

Minor scuffles fail to mar evening

By JJ McCullough

Ps some controversies Over security, last week’s Halloween pub night, hosted by the Douglas Students’ Union, was largely a success according to organizers.

“It was a great event,” said Alyisa MacGrotty, the DSU External Relations Officer. “The overall feeling was really enthusiastic. The members seemed to be really happy to be socially involved and part of a campus community.”

The event, which was held on the night of October 30 at 6 pm, saw the DSU’s upstairs lounge crammed to over capacity with dozens of costumed students, attracted by promises of cheap beer and free pizza. A live DJ entertained the crowd as guests danced and chatted. Guests partied well past

nidnight, and doors did not formally close until 1 am.

Though drunken antics were in predictable abundance, the only significant disturbance of the evening was a single “minor episode,” according to DSU the Aboriginal Liaison Wendy Case. A drunken student had to be escorted off the premises by security at one point after he allegedly smashed a hole in a hallway of the DSU building. Some other property damage was inflicted as well, with several items in the men’s bathroom being significantly smashed, though DSU officials claimed to not know who was responsible.

Police officers showed up at the party twice during the course of the evening, though Alysia MacGrotty was quick to downplay the relevance. “They basically showed up, looked around, and said ‘this party is under control,” she said.

Though the night itself was successful, planning the pub night had had been a source of some internal

controversy at the DSU itself, with certain members of the board feeling that the event had been hastily thrown together. The event only narrowly survived a 4-3 vote of approval at an early October subcommittee meeting, and a final budget was not approved until less than a week before the 30".

There is likewise some ongoing debate within the DSU over how successful the party’s security was. Rather than hire Paladin Security, who provide campus security for Douglas College, the DSU opted to hire former board member Glenn Banania, and his two associates, to handle the job. Banania works professionally in security, but is still in the process of applying for a business licence to run a security firm of his own. According to Geoffery Lenahan, who co-ordinated the pub night,

the decision to hire Banania’s team

was largely motivated as a way to cut costs, but some concerns were

raised about his group’s work ethic.

According to college relations

coordinator Matthew Steinbach, the

DSU’s receiver manager, Marne Jensen, has since decreed that only

Paladin will be hired for subsequent

events. Despite the controversies, the

pub night was undoubtedly popular.

Long line-ups for at the bar saw the party’s beer supply sell out

around midnight, and an inside deal helped the DSU procure pizza from

Panago at below cost. According to Wendy Case, the event actually turned a profit overall, though it remains unclear if the margin will be significant enough to cover the vandalism damages.

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PHOTO BY ALLY MacGROTTY