Senioritis celebrated with month-long party, bar hopping

For some, February is reserved for Valentine's Day, the first round of midterms and Black History Month.

For seniors, it's for one big party.

Today marks the kickoff of FebClub, an annual tradition during which Penn's senior class board plans one event per day for seniors for the entire month of February.

The events - the first and last of which will be held at Smokey Joe's at 40th and Walnut streets - range from parties at Philadelphia restaurants and bars to student productions, like The Vagina Monologues or a Mask and Wig show, on campus.

And for 2007, the senior class board has a host of new events planned, including a free Helium Club comedy show, the Clash of the Classes at the Dartmouth men's basketball game and a class party at a downtown Marathon Grill location, featuring seniors manning the DJ booths, said Wharton senior and senior class president Andrew Kaplan.

For each event that they attend, seniors will receive a stamp - or two, on the few double-stamp nights - and will be rewarded with prizes ranging from a bottle-opener key chain, worth 11 stamps, to bigger prizes like a bar tab or dinner at a nice restaurant, each valued at 23 stamps.

In the end, the seniors with the most stamps - there can be more than one winner - will be rewarded with the ultimate prize: Their name on a plaque at Smokes', guaranteeing them eternal glory.

Though they do have to pay for each event they attend, seniors will receive discounts.

In the past, an average of 100 to 200 seniors attended each event.

"It's a blast - really everybody comes out," said Paul Ryan, owner of Smokey Joe's. "This is the senior place."

Engineering senior Jareau Wade said that he heard a lot about FebClub from his friends who graduated last year and is looking forward to events such as the Mask and Wig show on Feb. 22nd.

Wharton senior Corey Hulse echoed Wade's excitement.

"In a way it's kind of like a victory lap for the seniors before we have to enter the real world," he said.

Kaplan and fellow board members spent the beginning of the week selling FebClub "Livin' the Dream" packages that included a T-shirt and two wristbands.

"It's just about presenting an opportunity for seniors to have a good time together," Kaplan said.

"Overall, it's a great experience for the class," he said.

And because a month of partying may result in incessant hangovers and nights better left forgotten, some FebClub events will offer seniors a break from partying.

Kaplan wrote in an e-mail that two Wednesdays will serve as "extra credit" opportunities, where students will be able to donate to the Senior Class Gift Drive and sign the Graduation Pledge Alliance, in which seniors "pledge to explore and take into account the social environment of any job" they consider. Stamps will be awarded for both.

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