Sextacy Shut Down

Story and Photos by Alex Del Cueto

Sextacy is an annual week of events, this year from March 4 to March 7, thrown by The Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA) to promote sex positivity and body confidence. The week ends with a major party, this year's theme being Unheavenly Bodies.

The crowd when the party reached capacity.

The main party of Sextacy was on March 7 in The Stood and was planned to go from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Sextacy is typically one of the parties with a higher attendance rate, in order to keep the party in check, the Purchase Student Government Association (PSGA) sold wristbands for outside guests, and Stood workers were told to shut the doors when capacity was reached.

The party was shut down at 12:45 a.m. due to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) coming to help a student who passed out, as well as other students passing out throughout the night. 

Ramata Diallo wore a heavenly crown to match the theme of Unheavenly Bodies.

"I’ve been to every single Sextacy since I’ve been here,” said senior Summer Carty. “It’s a ‘don’t miss’ event every year.”

Several students, including Summer Carty, danced on stage at the beginning of the party.

Most students did not begin to arrive until close to 11 p.m. and The Stood began to reach capacity at 11:30 p.m. 

Students began to form a line outside the entrance, and as more time passed, students were more frustrated with the staff for not allowing them in.

“Students were really drunk, some of them were being rude to us for doing our job,” said Josh Perez, a student who worked the door on Sextacy night. “It was annoying because, at the end of the day, we’re students too, and being spoken down upon by other students for doing our job is infuriating.”

Josh Perez scanned late students ID’s as they were let in when other students left.

The party was hosted by SOCA’s President, Tristan Keane-Negri, and Treasurer Destiny Barbour. Throughout the night Keane-Negri had to remind the crowd that there was no smoking in The Stood because people were smoking weed throughout the party.

Tristan Keane-Negri (left) and Destiny Barbour (Center) emceeing the event.

Unlike most Stood parties, Sextacy did more than just play music. They also held lap dance contests that allowed consenting students to either give or receive a lap dance on stage. Senior Kayla Dike won the lap dance competition dancing on her boyfriend Leslie Smith. 

Me’ilani Nelson received a lap dance from Jade Hattori-Hamilton in the center of the stage.

Kayla Dike gave Leslie Smith a lap dance during the lap dance competition.

At this point in the night, students had begun to get more frustrated and were harassing Stood staff and even faculty.

“If you show up to the Stood, and we’ve hit capacity, and you elbow staff and administrative facility to try to get in, you’re a loser,” said senior Stood worker Victoria Gauzza.

At around midnight, a police officer entered to check on a girl who had reportedly passed out during the party, and 15 minutes later a stretcher came in to come and take the girl to the hospital.

A police officer waiting to check on a girl who passed out in the bathroom.

At around 12:45 a.m., the lights came on and Keane-Negri came on stage to let everyone know the party was shut down for people’s safety.

“I get having to end because people are passing out, that’s just more danger waiting to happen,” said junior Nathaniel Evans, “but I feel like they should have more monitoring going on throughout the night.”

From left to right: Regulus Thompson, Nathaniel Evans and Alvarez Pickett had fun dancing in The Stood.

Students began to rush towards the lockers and exits to leave. A crowd formed and students attempted to climb on top of the lockers and knocked the lockers on to the crowd of students. 

The crows began to leave when the party got shut down.

As students were leaving, Stood workers closed the main exit and asked all students to move to the entrance which caused confusion. Many students left the night feeling dissatisfied with the party. 

“There’s always bad shit happening at The Stood,” said senior Alvarez Pickett. “The lack of attention and safety, it’s making me start to lose faith in the whole party scene.” 

“It’s a common misconception that the clubs hosting parties interact directly with UPD [University Police Department],” said Keane-Negri. “That is all handled by The Stood and then told to us, we never speak to them directly.”

Now event organizers, students, and Stood workers are worried about future parties that will happen at The Stood. Afrodisiac is the next major party to be held in the Stood and Carty is on the board of event organizers.

“I'm more worried about the security, but I'm hoping, like with meetings with UPD, a plan can be put in place,” said Carty. “ I know a lot of student workers were irritated, cause like, a lot of it does fall on them.”

Students danced together by the stage before the party got shut down.

Sextacy was considered to be a disappointment by many students due to the wait to get in, people being sick at the party, and the hectic shutdown of the party and The Stood. However, Keane-Negri views Sextacy as an overall success.

“Sextacy is more than just the big party on Friday night,” said Keane-Negri. “We held a full week of educational events that went really well. That’s what made Sextacy successful."