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"I think almost every Rice party that involves alcohol has ... the potential danger for assaults, vandalism and theft," Wiess President George Fotinos said. "Sexual assaults can and have happened at other Rice parties, I'm sure, but then with NOD there's an extra precaution that needs to be taken under the circumstances of the theme, the amount of alcohol consumed that night and the number of non-Rice people present."

NOD safety was originally brought up as an issue by Wiess master John Hutchinson, Fotinos said. Wiess members talked about the issue at Wiess Summit, discussed it at Wiess' social committee meetings and finally made the decisions to change policy during a cabinet meeting. "The issue was not an impetuous move on Wiess' part. Wiess took a lot of time and effort to make these decisions," Fotinos said.

"Wiess has had problems in the past with people who are not Rice students and who have no affiliation with the campus," one of the two social coordinators and Wiess College junior Diana Coffa said. "Because they're not from Rice, they are less respectful of Rice institutions, like the alcohol policy."

"There's a very high percentage chance that the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission will be at Wiess [on the night of NOD], so it's very important that Rice students adhere to the alcohol policy," social coordinator and Wiess College junior Ethan Schultz said.

As a result of those concerns, this year anyone who is not a Rice student or guest may not attend NOD. "People need to let Wiess know ahead of time how many friends they're bringing," Fotinos said. "You can still buy tickets for your friends in advance."

By admitting only Rice students and their guests, the social coordinators believe that Wiess will be able to prevent unnecessary problems in advance or will at least know who the responsible parties are in the event of trouble. "We are trying to eliminate the widely accepted number - one threat of violations at NOD," Schultz said.

Schultz also said that the college hopes to employ 50 Wiess volunteers to supplement the security provided by the Campus Police. In addition, Coffa and Schultz hope to establish security at other colleges from the colleges and their residents themselves. "A lot of the problems that occur on the night of NOD are not on Wiess grounds but are on the grounds of other colleges," Schultz said. He and Coffa have requested that each college ask eight volunteers to provide security in its own buildings in two-person, one-hour shifts.

"You don't want NOD to be the worst night of your life. You want to have one hell of a time. But at the same time, NOD is a night to go a little bit crazy," Schultz said. Besides safety considerations, Coffa and Schultz have also put a great deal of time and effort into the party itself. This year's theme for NOD is "Circus," with the slogan "The Greatest NOD on Earth."

"The reason we chose the circus theme is because there's an enormous potential for variety as far as costumes are concerned," Coffa explained. "We expect to see lots and lots of costumes."

The Wiess Socials Committee has already begun preparing decorations and arranged for the band Arrival to play. "We've seen them play in Houston, and they seem to be a high-energy cover and original band," Schultz said.

"Wiess College puts a lot of time into NOD. We're really, really proud of it," Fotinos said. All of Wiess' plans and policies concerning NOD are to ensure both the party's success as well as people's safety, he said.

"What we want to emphasize is that not having off-campus people will not affect the party," Coffa said. "As far as the actual mood of the party, it will make very little difference."

"NOD is the best party on campus, hands down, feet down, pants down," Schultz said. "Come to NOD, have a great time, but use your better judgment."

This item appeared in the News section of the October 17, 1997 issue.