All the Right Moves

The complete 'how to' for throwing a fabulous party

The Princeton Review cited JMU as the "place where the weekend begins on Wednesday." Everyone on and off campus in the city limits is aware of this reality, where the weekend — for most seniors, at least — begins as early as Tuesday nights at The Pub. So, at the school where the party never ends, here are some survival tips for throwing and attending residential parties during the average student's four-plus years at JMU.

Word on the street

Advertising a party is a tedious task that easily can go awry if the party is marketed toward the wrong population. When she and her roommates are having a party, senior Sarah Kelbaugh said, "We basically call friends and tell them to bring whoever they want."

To appeal to college students one knows, put the party invitation and information on an America Online Instant Messenger profile. To acquire the entire student body attending the party, spread the word in freshman dorms. To get arrested, make fliers and wait for the Harrisonburg Police Department to bust the party.

"I prefer anywhere I know the people that are having the party, if it be fraternity or apartment," senior Court Pifer said. "Most parties I attend are held in apartments because they are [hosted by] good friends, and I was formally invited." Make sure the party's attendance does not swing in favor of one gender over another — one sex outweighing the other leaves the overpopulated gender uncomfortable and with the desire to leave the party.

Planning to a "T"

When planning a party, explore the option of a theme to complement the weather or holiday that the party surrounds or to create a mood for the party. Themes, ranging from toga parties to pimps and hos, set a mood for the party where guests can compete for best costume. Web sites dedicated to college festivities, such as www.partyschool.com, have a plethora of ideas students contribute from their own schools. If making the "rounds" to the parties of the evening, making a list never fails. It gives you a point of reference if your memory begins fading after your first two stops.Getting there

The Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation receives far too little love for the service it provides each and every night of the "JMU weekend."

Running until nearly 3 a.m. on traditional weekends, the transit buses allow all members of the partying group to enjoy themselves, in addition to running no risk of standing in the cold for 30 minutes waiting for a cab or having to shell out cash to local car thieves — also known as the Teeter Exxon towers. HDPT revamped the night routes the past school year, catering to the JMU student body and making the schedules ridiculously easy to understand. If opting not to spend two minutes on the HDPT Web site, www.hdpt.com, one only is doing oneself a disservice.

All the small things

Hosting a party is exciting and strenuous, but don't use these factors as cop-outs to forgetting all the little factors to successful party throwing. These details include having paper towels and toilet paper available for spills, and the obvious — purchasing plenty of Solo cups and beverage pong balls, having pitchers available for games and a trash can out in the open to encourage guests to be tidy.

Bumping the beats

Any party is just a light gathering without quality music. Don't make guests feel they have to bring their own music — consult with music-savvy friends to download the latest tunes to keep your guests social.

"Good music is a must with a party," sophomore Robin Schwartz said. "It keeps things going, and can even make things interesting if everyone is dancing and having a good time."

Undesired guests

There are two kinds of unwanted visitors who may arrive at any party at any time — "the drunk kid" and "the authorities." Both can be handled in a positive manner, so as not to damper the festivities. When guests arrive, either causing trouble with other attendees or clearly too intoxicated even to be in public, they need to exit the premises to keep themselves and other guests safe.

Kelbaugh said if someone is out of control, she asks him or her to leave or has someone help her kick him or her out of her apartment. The host throwing the party and allowing everyone to gather at their abode has every right to ask anyone to leave at any time — and that person should abide as a sign of respect for the host's hospitality. Have a large, intimidating friend by your side when asking the troublemaker to leave in case a problem should arise.

The other, far scarier uninvited guest is a police officer. The best bet in this case is to send a sober (or most sober) host to the door to talk to the police officer and find out what he or she wants. If it is simply to turn down music, apologize for the officer having to come out to the residence and say it won't happen again. Then, actually turn the music down to avoid a repeat appearance by the officer.

JMU Police have jurisdiction in student-dense residential areas, so do not think that because the officer is not a Harrisonburg Police Department officer, he or she cannot legally do anything to the host. They actually can do more damage, as students' academic careers can be jeopardized with JMU Police judicial charges.

According to Mike Way, director of Judicial Affairs, students can and will be tried by JMU Judicial Affairs if they are tried and found guilty of a felony or a drug or alcohol charge for which they could spend one year or more in jail. "If they are found guilty by Rockingham County or Harrisonburg courts, JMU can try them and repercussions can occur," he said. Way added these repercussions can include strikes against a student, as per JMU's three strikes policy.

In a situation with alcohol, Schwartz said, "The people that are throwing the party may be able to keep their guests safe while in the actual party, but once those people leave, no one can say what could or will actually happen."

All good things must end

So, the guests are gone and there are 300 Solo cups sporadically placed around the apartment, beckoning to be emptied and tossed. Cleaning the barren land of wounded soldiers is easier than it seems — just have a mop, vacuum and trash can handy. OxyClean spray instantly absorbs wine, juice and other stubborn stains, while Febreze-ing furniture and carpets after the party will free a residence from smelling like a fraternity house basement. Worst case scenario — visit a local grocery store to inexpensively rent a steam cleaner. "We don't put [cleaning] off," Kelbaugh said. "Carpet cleaner is a good purchase, since most apartment companies charge for everything."

The responsibility of hosting a party is great to ensure the fun and safety of attendees, but the payoff of knowing yours was the party of the semester is well worth it. "The more parties, the better college is," senior Evan Winokur said. "There is only four years that you can do this."