URI seniors continue Senior Week tradition

04/29/09 - University of Rhode Island students are exclusively running this year's Senior Week events, but this wasn't always the case.In past years Senior Week included a dinner cruise to Newport and Foxwoods Resort Casino, breakfast at George's of Galilee, and a ferry ride to and from Block Island. This years events are similar, but provide alcohol.

About four or five years ago the Student Senate and the Alumni Association provided a non-alcoholic Senior Week, said Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Dougan.

"Student Senate cannot sponsor events with alcohol," he said.

Some students wanted a senior week with alcohol and started planning their own senior week events. Students became more interested in the student-sponsored events.

Due to the competition between the two events, URI stopped sponsoring Senior Week.

This year, seniors Mike Rutledge and AJ Macagna will plan the festivities. They became interested in planning Senior Week after they worked last year's events, the two said.

Their friends, alumni Ryan Battis and Michael Lappin, ran last year's events and passed down the reins.

Rutgers said transportation would be provided for all attendees.

"[We are providing] safety of having nobody drive," he said.

All seniors are welcome, but they must be 21-years-old to attend, Rutgers added. Upon purchasing tickets, the seniors must provide a copy of their driver's license. The various venues will provide their own bouncers and will check ID's.

"We want to make sure everyone is safe and responsible," he said.

The week will run from Saturday May 9 through Friday May 15 and will cost $165 per attendee.

"We have a private investor willing to provide us with the necessary money," Rutledge said. He could not reveal the private investor's name or the cost of Senior Week.

University Trinkets in the Emporium is currently selling the tickets and ticket purchasers will receive a discount on selected items in the store.

The $165 ticket provides access to every event; drink specials, and a t-shirt.

"I think the price is fair because we would be paying a lot more using the day pass," said senior Chris Kunzmann, "In the end, if you go to all seven events it's definitely worth the price."

Day passes will also be on sale and will range according to the event, but Rutledge said purchasing the full week is "considerably less" money. Block Island, for example, will cost $50 for a day pass.



Rutledge said tickets are "first come first serve" and there are only between 600-800 spots. He would not say how much have already been sold, or how many spots are left. In the Facebook group dedicated to this year's senior week, there are approximately 600 members who might be attending.

Each day of the week has a different event plan throughout Rhode Island, including the Coast Guard House, the Pearl in Providence, the club Mardi Gras, the Shrine at MGM grand and Foxwoods, Ballards at Block Island, Harbourside, and Paddy's.

"[We've] been coming [to URI] for four years. We know what the hot spots are," Rutledge said.

He said him and Macagna chose the events based on what was successful last year. They took out some of the local bars, such as Shamrocks and Bobby G's, and replaced them with places like the Pearl.

Macagna said Block Island would probably be a popular event because, "a lot of people haven't been there, [but] everyone has heard good things about it," he said.

Rutledge said all events are exclusively URI seniors and venues will not be open to the public. Disc jockeys will be at every event and free Red Bull will be given to attendees.

Rutledge said the planning for Senior Week began in May, and ticket sales started in November.

The two spread the word through a Facebook event group and more people started purchasing tickets.

Rutledge said in order to purchase a ticket through the group, seniors should contact either himself or Macagna, whose cell phone numbers are provided.

"We are doing this legitimately and we want to be as professional as possible," Rutledge said in regards to planning the event.

Rutledge and Macagna said hours of preparation have gone into making Senior Week '09 possible. Rutledge said the two had to meet with lawyers and dealt with taxes in order to make it official.

"Most venues were very cooperative and were willing to accommodate us," Rutledge said.

He said he did not want to mention the venues that were skeptical about their services, as it may discourage next year's event planners.