THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008
APARTMENT GUIDE
9
So what are the perks of throwing a party as opposed to attending one?
"I like throwing parties because you get to decide who will be there," said Laura Brunin, St. Mary sophomore. "You don't have to worry about trying to avoid people that you don't get along with."
Across town at The Reserve, another party is soon underway. This party is a bit smaller, with 20 to 30 of Brunin and her two roommates' close friends arriving at the apartment. Beer pong and card games are being played as music plays in the background. A keg may be found in the kitchen and on rare occasions, such as Brunin's 20th birthday, Jell-O shots are available.
["That] was by far the greatest party we have ever thrown," said Brunin. "The party was absolutely huge."
Such a party is a rarity for Brunin and her roommates, as they tend to throw smaller parties limited to their close friends. These parties are usually decided last-minute, using Facebook to send out invitations - a popular tool used by many party-throwers.
"We use Facebook because it's fast and easy," said Baraban. "You can reach a lot more people."
Once the invites are out, step one is complete.
The next step: buying the booze. Kegs seem to be a party favorite. Baraban takes pleasures in having two kegs at his parties, but two kegs weren't enough for Brunin's birthday bash. She said that they made 500 Jell-O shots and bought three bottles of champagne in addition to having two kegs. Brunin charged a dollar for three Jell-O shots and five dollars a cup, enough to break even
and then some.
"We ended up making back all the money we spent plus about $100," Brunin said.
So, you sent out the invites and got the booze. Step three tidy up and hide the valuables. The last thing you'll want to wake up to after throwing a party is broken glass or a stolen iPod.
"Make sure to put away anything that could be stolen or easily broken," Baraban said.
Lenexa sophomore Deepak Surampalli had an iPod stolen from a party earlier this year. Ever since then, he and his roommates have locked away precious valuables in their rooms.
Surampalli and Baraban have one last piece of advice — make sure your neighbors know that you're throwing a party.
"Sometimes you never know who shows up," Surampalli said.
"The people below us called the cops on us," said Baraban. "We had the cops come three times."
Baraban and his roommates were given three disturbing-the-peace tickets, each one for $250, a hefty price tag for throwing a party.
Surampalli had a similar incident with neighbors, though not resulting in any citations. He said that they were required to turn down their music after receiving a noise complaint.
Even though Surampalli's penalty was negligible in comparison to Baraban's, he still recommends other party-throwers to check with neighbors beforehand.
"You can run into some serious problems if they are not welcome to the idea of loud noise every weekend," Surampalli said.
Apartment parties can be a lot of fun, but they can bring a lot of agony, too. Lenexa sophomre Deepak Surampalli said he had an iPod stolen from his apartment during one of his parties.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO