“Our college experience has been stripped away from us,” said senior Grace Burger, capturing the reaction of many students to the university’s decision to relocate SantaCon from Lantern Point to Jennings Beach.
Her statement was obtained through a survey distributed to the Class of 2026 via an off-campus GroupMe. The final question invited open-ended comments from seniors, eliciting visceral reactions that echo Burger’s sentiment.
She underscored the financial investment associated with beach living, stating that she pays “over $2,000 in rent” — a cost many students justify due to the belief that the location of their home will allow them to take full advantage of traditions typically centered at the Point.
Overall, students express dissatisfaction with the location change, as it may necessitate a longer commute to the party. Moreover, many anticipate that the issues that occur annually will arise regardless of the new sanctioned setting.
“What’s the difference between the Point, where students live, and Jennings Beach?” one respondent considered. “They are both going to have trash and a ton of people.”
This thought process was mirrored in several responses, unveiling an overarching theme that students have little confidence in the university’s ability to control the event due to its large scale and reach.
“I have no faith that this is going to curtail anything,” a senior said. “So many students from Sacred Heart University, University of New Haven and other nearby schools show up, so it’s not going to make a difference.”
In a similar vein, another senior provided a suggestion to organizers.
“Crowd control is the name of the game,” they wrote, reiterating the role that private security and local law enforcement can play in minimizing the presence of attendees without direct ties to Fairfield.
Collectively, the Class of 2026 characterizes SantaCon with a single word: “tradition.” They fear that these changes could threaten the longevity of a longstanding, student-driven tradition.
“SantacCon just feels like the final straw among the things they’ve taken away from us our senior year,” one student concluded. “Honestly, I would tell students thinking of coming to Fairfield to consider their social lives here, as it doesn’t compare to other colleges in the area.”
It should be noted that, despite these complaints, 80% of students who answered the survey said that they still plan to attend the event.