Maybe it’s because they work at the No. 2 party school in the nation, but UF’s library staff takes partying pretty seriously.
They almost treat it like a job.
In fact, they even form a committee each year whose sole purpose is to plan the end-of-the-year holiday party.
It’s called, appropriately, the Holiday Party Planning Committee. It has 10 members, including a chairwoman, who meet a handful of times from October to December.
And, just like any other committee, there’s a designated note-taker in charge of recording the discussions and decisions of the committee so it can be posted online for all to see.
One of the first topics to be broached this year was food. The members agreed that last year’s committee ordered too much. This year, they pledged, will be different.
In another departure from last year’s festivities, there will be no more chocolate fondue, the committee decided on Nov. 5.
It was simply too messy. The ax fell on glitter snowflakes for the same reason.
The holiday ham also proved to be a bit of a problem, “because staff members spent a great deal of time struggling to slice it,” the minutes from the Oct. 23 meeting read.
“As a result it was suggested that the extra money be spent to purchase presliced ham,” the committee decided.
Another issue tackled by the committee was whether the Gingerbread Centerpiece Contest should require entries to have a certain percentage of gingerbread to be eligible.
The consensus was no. “[A]nything Gingerbread and edible,” was the final edict.
Asked why a committee was necessary to decide these things, library spokeswoman Barbara Hood said it’s hard work planning a party for 200 to 300 people.
“It’s just not the type of party one or two people would plan,” Hood said. She asked that the location of the party — scheduled for Thursday — not be disclosed because it is for library staff only. She also said the $2,500 party budget comes from private funds.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando praised the open nature of the planning process.
“There are no secrets, and everybody knows what’s going on,” he said jokingly.
He also said library staff were providing a good example for students. With all the planning that goes into the party, there’s less of a chance it will get out of hand, he suggested.
“I know you’re not gonna see Jell-O shots there, let’s put it that way,” he said.
