‘Bullets and Bubbly’ Party Draws Controversy at UConn

An article in today’s Hartford Courant explains how University of Connecticut Law School students recently had an off-campus theme party reminiscent of Hopkins’ ill-fated “Halloween in the Hood” party. The UConn students posted photos from their “Bullets and Bubbly” party on Facebook.com, upsetting many students, faculty, and administrators, who found the party’s theme racially insensitive.

UConn Interim Dean Kurt Strasser has scheduled a roundtable for this afternoon at 12:15 so that members of the UConn community can discuss the party. Newly minted Dean of the Law School Jeremy Paul told the Courant that “[c]learly this is an unfortunate incident,” and that he is “very concerned about it.” Some of the party’s attendees have already apologized for the perceived insensitivity. Although Strasser implies in the Courant article that he will not seek official punishment, he hopes the roundtable “will bring the law school community together and provide a ‘teaching moment.’”

The Courant article states that this party “seems to reflect a trend toward these kinds of parties among college students nationally.” More aptly, I think these types of parties are not becoming more prevalent, but more public, as sites like Facebook bring the once-private lives and activities of college students to public attention.