How many engineers does it take to throw a party? About 40 and they’ll use 100 rolls of duct tape, 8000 square feet of black tarp, and a few hundred glow sticks to pull the whole thing off. EnCouncil transformed Lopata Gallery into a psychedelic jungle on Saturday for Vertigo, its yearly dance party, which drew in hundreds of students with free pizza, beer and strobe lights.
“We basically cover the entire gallery in black and turn it into a rave with all sorts of crazy lights and neon glowing paint,” said Dan Livengood, president of EnCouncil. “What makes [Vertigo] fun is that it’s really laid-back. It’s the style of engineers to work hard and then goof around and have some fun.”
Throwing good parties apparently comes with the engineering territory.
“Engineers understand things like power,” explained student services chair Maggie Gierse. “We know how to draw the most power out of the engineering school so we can have the best lighting and the best sound. We have the capacity to do things that a lot of other people wouldn’t understand or have the expertise to do.”
For those who helped with set-up for the event, the party started on Friday. Walls holding portraits of illustrious past deans had to be covered and painted while a bundle of 12 extension cords was wound through the ceiling panels amid falling fiber glass.
“The whole set-up process is all about the engineer bonding,” said junior Jeff Rhodes as one of his comrades was almost thrown into a trash can behind him. “It’s fun being around all these people. We’ve got those pi bond and those sigma bonds.”
In true engineering style, preparing for Vertigo involved an all-nighter. With a little inspiration from WHAM’s music and caffeinated soda, EnCouncil succeeded in making Lopata Gallery unrecognizable.
“Five of us ended up staying here over night, literally camped out on the floor with sleeping bags and air mattresses,” said Livengood. “We crashed at about 5:30 a.m. and woke up around 9 a.m. to the guys delivering the equipment.”
Vertigo head chair freshman Rachel Lee helped put finishing touches on the neon vines and monkeys covering every wall.
“I’ve been working on Vertigo for a month and a half, so I’m making myself stay awake for the party,” said Lee. “Being a freshman, this whole experience is a big head-rush. Plus, I’ll be kept busy if things don’t go well.”
Across the room, the “epileptic tunnel” was being completed. A pitch black tunnel lined with strobe lights, this entrance let guests know that Vertigo was not your ordinary party.
“Setting up for this is a hell of a lot more fun than electrical engineering problem sets,” said four-year Vertigo veteran senior Geoff Daush. He was busy painting the sign that would direct patrons to the beer line. “Compared to signals analysis, this is a joy.”
Under the glow of black lights, the final preparations were made. After putting on glow-necklaces and black-light body spray, team Vertigo was ready to go.
“This place looks awesome,” said Gierese. “We’re going to blow people away with all the decorations and music. And of course there’s the free beer. That helps. When people come in they’re just going to jump on the platform and start dancing.”
And dance they did. With spinning lights and twirling glow sticks, the dance floor was truly mesmerizing.
“I liked the strobe lights as we were coming in,” said freshman Carl Johnson. “Those were ridiculous. And there’s the free pizza too, which is good, and the glow sticks are a lot of fun.”
Fellow glow stick twirler freshman Alan Perlman agreed.
“I won’t be drinking, so I may not be having as much fun as some of those people over there,” said Perlman. “But the decorations are great, and this a good option now that the frats are dry.”
Senior Jessie Rymph was enjoying herself with those of age by the beer line.
“I have to say, the beer selection here is amazing,” said Rymph. “I might go dance on the platform later, if my friends come with me. The decorations are really cool and the monkeys hanging from the ceiling are a nice touch.”
Away from the dance floor campus and community affairs chair Miranda Todd was rationing out glow-sticks.
“We’ve got a packed house, and everyone seems to be having fun, wearing lots of glowing stuff and dancing around,” said Todd. “I just had a mosh pit sort of experience when I was dancing up on the platform, so things are fun out there.”
And Vertigo just may reveal one of Wash U’s best kept secrets.
“I hope everyone who came here has fun,” said junior Kendra Grimes. “And I hope they find out that engineers can party the best.”