Ruthie Braunstein/The Hoya Nearly 200 students spent the night in the Leavey Center Thursday and Friday night to get Dip Ball tickets. The annual event will be held at the Old Post Office Pavilion this year on April 28. Tickets sold out Saturday morning for the 2001 Diplomatic Ball after nearly 200 students spent the night in the Leavey Center. Students began to line up in the main hallway of the Leavey Center beginning Friday at 3 p.m. to be sure they would be able to purchase the $45 tickets.

The 2001 Dip Ball will be held on April 28th at the Old Post Office Pavilion.

Some students complained that the Department of Public Safety did not send a dedicated guard to those waiting. Officers arrived when ticket sales began to keep order among students.

“[DPS] was nowhere to be found,” Christine Johnson (NHS ’01) said.

Officials sold 117 tickets to School of Foreign Service seniors Friday morning, while around 130 stood in line.

“[One-hundred seventeen] is ridiculously arbitrary,” Nate Richardson (SFS ’01) said.

Kathleen Hosie (SFS ’01), who had waited in line was put on the waiting list and denied a ticket. She said she thought the policy unfair, especially because she did not go during her previous three years “out of courtesy to the seniors.”

Kathy Zeisel (SFS ’01) agreed that “underclassmen should be able to go, but seniors should get priority.”

“It should be a big, happy senior event,” Shannon Varon (SFS ’01) said.

Chairperson of the Dip Ball Committee Johnetta Pressley (SFS ’03) said, “Ticket sales policy is constantly under review.” The biggest change in sales policy from last year is the introduction of a waiting list, she said.

“I think this helped people’s state of mind, ensuring them that we know the ball is for the students. We will make every effort to get them tickets if they become available after we’ve sold out,” Pressley said.

Most who stood in line for the general ticket sales Friday night received the tickets they wanted. At 11 a.m., two hours after ticket sales began, Kareem O’Weiss (SFS ’02) became the first and only person who waited in line to be placed on the waiting list. He had arrived at 8:30 a.m. that morning.

To make tickets available to the most students possible, seniors who bought Friday were only allowed to purchase two tickets each, and those students who bought tickets Saturday were only allowed four tickets each. This cap was placed to prevent students from buying tickets for other people who did not wait in line. This was particularly a problem with the 1999 ticket sales when one student bought 110 tickets at one time.

At its height, the line stretched from the Leavey Center information booth nearly to the Conference Center, but Pressley said the line was not as dense as in past years.

“I think that some people might have been deterred by that appearance of length and not gotten in line,” she said.

Yan Bulgak (SFS ’02) was first in line, arriving at 3 p.m. Friday.

By Friday evening nearly 175 students had dragged furniture from Sellinger Lounge but according to Sally Rohrer (COL ’01), sleeping was no easy task.

“People were making rude comments to keep us up all night, and people were screaming `Dip Ball 2001!'” she said.

Many students clustered around tables once the sofas and armchairs ran out.

Despite complaints of discomfort, many students found ways to entertain themselves.

“We wallowed in our own filth. I’ve made some friends for life,” said Bill Morrissey (SFS ’03).

Lee Baldridge (SFS ’03) and Jamie Jones (SFS ’02) played cards and board games as they waited.

Philip Kostrowicki (MSB ’01), who said he witnessed the same “infamous phenomenon” last year said that an “evolution of technology” had taken place in the space of only one year, pointing to the proliferation of laptops and DVD players.

Kostrowicki also said the noise and excitement was “a lot more subdued than last year. People were very nervous and tense.”

“It’s a social scene,” said Marisa Porzig (SFS ’02). “Everyone stops by to say `hi.'”

Hanna Castillo (NHS ’04) agreed there was some sense of a “uniform bond” between the students waiting together. “You realize how much you can trust people, but you also realize how intolerant people are,” she said.

Little tension was visible until ticket sales actually began, when numbers were passed out to secure everyone’s place in line and avoid the confusion that has characterized previous years. With the same goal in mind, the students had already compiled an unofficial list.

Joy Kerin (SFS ’02) said she was surprised at the dedication of so many students.

“I had no idea people were going to sleep here. I’m beginning to think I’m not going to get a ticket,” she said

“I feel like I have a life. It’s a zoo,” O’Weiss said, “It’s insane. I can’t believe people came here so early.”

“[Being there] just makes you feel special,” Johnson said. “It’s just cool . the atmosphere, the band, meeting the diplomats . It just makes you appreciate Georgetown.”

Min Yu (SFS ’02) and David Lee (MSB ’02) said the decision to attend Dip Ball was a mutual one.

“I heard it was the formal to go to,” said Lee, smiling. ” . and she likes formals.”

Danielle Porter (COL ’04) and John Crisafulli (COL ’04) had high expectations for the night. “We went to Christmas formal together,” said Crisafulli. “This has to be even better.”

For Francis Goh (SFS ’03), it was all about his date. “I’m going because I’ve got a charming date,” he said.

Kevin Preis (COL ’01) made his message plain. “Ladies, I got no date, if you’re interested . “

Megan Pohorylo (SFS ’01) said, “I haven’t slept here at Leavey in all of my four years at Georgetown. I see it as a sort of right of passage.”

Tom Rozwadowsky (COL ’01) said, “I just want to go to Dip Ball before I graduate.”

Pressley said that the committee has already received several preliminary RSVPs from diplomats, and an increase in diplomatic attendance this year is certain.

“The diplomatic community is becoming more and more aware of the ball, and we’re getting lots of diplomats who come every year now because they enjoy it so much. We’re also inviting the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, so hopefully, students will get to interact with some of them as well,” said Pressley.

Wait list requests are being accepted at dipball2001hotmail.com