By Eric Clipperton – Contributor

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” This quote from the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a saying I like to think of here at Bishop’s during the fall, because I know that once the leaves start changing and the mercury in the thermometer begins to drop, that November is once again upon us. 

November at Bishop’s is an interesting month. You have students taking midterms and or preparing for finals and projects, but on the flip side, you have one of the best nights of the year at Bishop’s sitting all pretty in the middle of the month: Gait Gatsby. For some, it’s just another Gait night but for many, it’s particularly special. It’s one of the few nights where everyone actually dresses the theme. From fancy dresses and jazz music, to the glitz and glamour of the decorations so carefully and well made by the wonderful people at Residence Life, the Gait is transformed into the hall of Jay Gatsby.

One of the best aspects about Gait Gatsby is that year after year, it might be the same event, but it remains a fan favourite. From those going to their first to those who have been to the party five times (or more!), the night always comes to life, and it is a spectacle to marvel in, year after year.

In the wonderful writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Can’t repeat the past?. . . Why of course you can!”. This is the feeling I have had about Gait Gatsby the past five years I’ve been here at BU. Although, due to circumstances we are all too familiar with, I have only been able to attend four of those past five Gait Gatsby nights, but each and every one of them has had a different flair and something unique that made each one memorable in their own ways. Whether it was the drink special, the photobooth, the music, or the people around me, they’ve been wonderful nights to behold. 

Coming into this year, I wasn’t hard set on attending the evening as I was still a bit uneasy with the fact that you now have to buy a ticket to enter, a change that arrived last year. Normally, I am not the biggest fan of the Gait and did not feel strongly about going. I sat back and remembered just how much fun the night has been year after year. I said to myself that I was going, and no one was going to stop me.

This year’s event was definitely one to remember. The atmosphere created by the Residence Events Committee was astounding. The band, the decorations and the overall positive vibes of the night were spectacular, and it made the fight to get a ticket worthwhile. All in all, Gait Gatsby is one of my favourite nights of the year. I know many others would make the same claim.