Class of 2010 Celebrates Delivery Of Rings at Moakley Courthouse
William Yee—The Tech
William Yee—The Tech
Roughly 700 members of the Class of 2010 descended upon the Moakley Courthouse in downtown Boston for a posh evening last Saturday to celebrate the delivery of their Brass Rats. According to Laura E. Aust ’10, Chair of the 2010 Ring Committee, the event cost around $55,000.
The semi-formal evening included a catered dinner and a jazz group. Representatives from Balfour distributed the rings, and the event was open to all sophomores, even those who did not purchase a ring.
The Moakley Courthouse is located on the waterfront, and the building offered spectacular views of the Boston skyline to sophomores enjoying their meals. According to Timothy E. Robertson ’10, “the view was awesome.” However, he said that a different location in Boston, like the Prudential Center, might have been better for students looking for something to do after the dinner.
Aust said that the Ring Committee was allocated a total budget of around $70,000, which helped subsidize the cost of gold and funded the party. They also spent about $1,000 on a study break during the year and about $14,000 on T-shirts, shot glasses, and other costs related to the Ring Premiere in February.
Sophomores were shuttled to and from the Courthouse with buses leaving from MIT and the Courthouse every 15 minutes, allowing students to come and go as they pleased. Manvi Goel ’10 said, “I liked the fact that it really didn’t have a concrete structure.” “I had a really good time,” she said.
Most students enjoyed the evening. Rachel C. Mayer ’10 said that “the food was great” and “it was nice to see everyone dressed up.” According to Goel, “it gave everyone an opportunity to get away from campus and be excited about being part of MIT.”
Eric D. Eisner ’10 had fun but said that, “if the money had gone into subsidizing rings, it would have been better.”
Aust said that things went better than she expected. Ring Delivery is the last major responsibility of the Ring Committee, and the committee will now help the class of 2011 Ring Committee get started with their work, according to Aust.
The tradition of holding an event to commemorate Ring Delivery started in 1999 with the class of 2001. That year, sophomores took part in a 3-hour sunset cruise.
If students missed Ring Delivery, they can still pick up their rings in Lobby 10 today or in the Stata Center on Wednesday and Thursday. Students can also order rings at the booths.