On Formal Black Market, Even Fakes Are Expensive

Currier House resident David M. Wilson '96 desperately wanted to attend the first-ever Quad-wide formal this Saturday night. But when tickets sold out on Wednesday, he had to enter a scalper's market.

Wilson eventually bought a pair of tickets from a person he identifies only as "another student from the Quad" for $55. The tickets, however, didn't get him into the formal--they turned out to be fakes.

At the door, he discovered that the tickets didn't match the standard description. "They seemed to have gold swirls drawn on the back and the numbers were too large," he said.

Wilson was eventually admitted to the formal, but only after telling the Cabot House senior tutor of the identify of the student who sold him the counterfeit ticket. When that student arrived at the event, the tutor "nabbed him," Wilson said.

For Wilson and other students, the process of getting into Saturday's night formal at the Wang Center in Boston was difficult. Tickets went on sale December 2 for Quad residents. But after all 600 were bought up by mid-week, some students with tickets sold them for a profit, while others tried to print and sell counterfeits.

Charmaine T. Chiu '96, Cabot House's formal committee chair, said there were no rules against scalping tickets for the Wang Center event. Organizers, however, "had anticipated a problem of that sort."

Zachary T. Buchwald '96, Currier House committee treasurer, said the organizers did not anticipate such a high demand for tickets.

"We agreed after the tickets sold out that if we choose to have a Quad formal next year, we'll attempt to find a location that can accomodate everyone," Buchwald said.

Chiu said planners tried to prevent scalping. But organizers knew that if someone really wanted to sell that if someone really wanted to sell tickets for profit, there was no definite way to stop them.

Organizers did take action to prevent counterfeiting, Chiu said. "We tried to print the tickets so they would be impossible to [fake]," she said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a North House resident said last night that she had two tickets for the formal but was unable to attend.

She gave her pair of tickets to a friend and asked the friend to sell them. The pair was sold for $75, the student said.

"I was reimbursed what I paid, and we used the rest for coffee," the student said. She said she knew of no rule prohibiting scalping tickets for the formal.

Someone tried to have fun with the ticket shortage. A mysterious sign appeared in Currier House late last week saying that an unnamed person had deliberately bought 10 extra tickets and was selling them for $75 each.

The number given to call, however, was for the telephone in the Currier computer room. The identity of the sign poster remains unknown.

Chiu said she was "surprised" by the popularity of the formal. "We were also very pleased--it was a great success," she said.

Buchwald also said the event went well. "Everybody seemed to be having a great time, despite the minor glitches," he said.

But some formal goers were upset that Wang Center officials closed down the open bar 20 minutes early. Legal drinkers had been obtaining drinks for under-age students.

Chiu said planners for next year's formal will examine this year's event and may "try to alter our protocols.

Organizers did take action to prevent counterfeiting, Chiu said. "We tried to print the tickets so they would be impossible to [fake]," she said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a North House resident said last night that she had two tickets for the formal but was unable to attend.

She gave her pair of tickets to a friend and asked the friend to sell them. The pair was sold for $75, the student said.

"I was reimbursed what I paid, and we used the rest for coffee," the student said. She said she knew of no rule prohibiting scalping tickets for the formal.

Someone tried to have fun with the ticket shortage. A mysterious sign appeared in Currier House late last week saying that an unnamed person had deliberately bought 10 extra tickets and was selling them for $75 each.

The number given to call, however, was for the telephone in the Currier computer room. The identity of the sign poster remains unknown.

Chiu said she was "surprised" by the popularity of the formal. "We were also very pleased--it was a great success," she said.

Buchwald also said the event went well. "Everybody seemed to be having a great time, despite the minor glitches," he said.

But some formal goers were upset that Wang Center officials closed down the open bar 20 minutes early. Legal drinkers had been obtaining drinks for under-age students.

Chiu said planners for next year's formal will examine this year's event and may "try to alter our protocols.