Plans for a Newman Center fundraiser were disrupted last week when members discovered their confirmed reservation for a party to be held at a downtown club was not going to ensure the use of the facility.
Planned to be held at Paradigm, located at 239 Chestnut St., the fundraising event was forced to relocate on short notice.
When student organizers called on March 29 to ask about setup, Paradigm managers explained that they thought the event was planned for Sunday, according to organizers.
"A Catholic student group would not plan an event for a Sunday, especially Palm Sunday," said Newman Council former President and College senior Anne McKnight.
Paradigm managers could not be reached for comment.
"It was just very disappointing," Newman Center Director Father Chuck Pfeffer said. "We were trying to do something nice for the church and [Paradigm] just reneged on this agreement we had."
The semiformal -- with proceeds donated to the repair fund for the over-115-year-old Saint Agatha-Saint James Church at 3728 Chestnut St., where close to 1,000 students worship each weekend -- was instead held Saturday night at the Newman Center, located at 37th and Chestnut streets.
After paying a $150 deposit and receiving a receipt clearly marked for booking the venue on April 3, "we assumed that everything was good to go," McKnight said.
One of the Paradigm managers "was very rude to [the student organizer] and accused her of being coy," McKnight added. "He admitted that he had a copy of the receipt ... so it was basically their mistake in booking us."
Although Paradigm offered to reschedule the event, the Newman Center -- which had sold approximately 150 tickets for Saturday evening -- found that "unacceptable," Pfeffer said.
Paradigm managers also countered that they had not yet cashed in the deposit check and offered to refund the money, according to McKnight.
Unable to find a suitable venue at such short notice, the Newman Center was able to secure a temporary liquor license from the state because of the special circumstances and tried to notify as many students as possible of the change in venue.
Lawyers at the Penn School of Law and a private law firm "advised us that we had grounds to sue for damages but had no way of forcing [Paradigm] to honor their contract," McKnight said.
However, legal action is unlikely. "It would not be worth it to pursue it," Pfeffer said.
Although the fundraiser concluded successfully, Newman organizers urged the Penn community to be wary when booking outside venues.
Paradigm "never admitted that it was their fault," McKnight said. "Had we not called to check, they would have turned everyone away at the door."
The Newman Center is the campus hub for the Catholic student community and is located at 3720 Chestnut Street.
