The Lincoln Log

On December 2, Mr. Pang informed the senior class of 05’ that Winter Ball would be canceled due to several factors including the cut list, the general decline of good behavior in the entire student body, littering and speeding around the area and the excessive complaints he had been receiving from surrounding neighbors about students disrespecting their homes. The news then circulated to the rest of the school through word of mouth.

Winter Ball, originally scheduled for December fourth was to be held at 1290, Sutter St., in a building named the Regency which is frequently used to hold special public and private functions. Tickets started selling mid November to the entire student body, to students on and off the cut list. Ticket prices went from $25 for Lincoln students, to $40 for guests and were sold at the cage during lunchtime.

The cut list that Mr. Pang took into consideration contained over 550 students, 180 of which were seniors. And of those seniors, 45 of them were lacking necessary credits to graduate. Also, of the 45 seniors lacking credits, 35 of them purchased tickets to Winter Ball. “This was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Principal Pang said. “I lost sleep over it. I consulted several people before actually deciding.”

Mr. Pang spoke to Mr. Alec, Mrs. Kampkar, the assistant superintendent, administrative officials at Lincoln, as well as random students that he pulled out of the hallways in order to get several opinions on the situation at hand. Closed campus was considered besides canceling Winter Ball as a means of punishment and deterring students from cutting class. But it was an option that did not hold much appeal to Mr. Pang since the reorganization of class schedules would take time and the large population would cause an overcrowding of the school, even with split lunch periods.

Lincoln is losing an approximate $7,000 due to a number of different consequences that came with canceling the event. A $4,000 potential profit loss came from the refunding of the tickets to students. Since the event was cancelled within 30 days of the actual date, the contract with the Regency was violated, and the total rental price including tax, $5,000, still had to be paid. Also, a $1,700 deposit was kept by the catering service as credit for future dances if services are required. But, Lincoln’s ASB decided to pay for the workers that were supposed to work at the event. Since 400 tickets needed to be sold in order for the school to break even on expenses for the dance, the 200 tickets sold already projected a loss, which also played into the decision to cancel.

“I think it was unreasonable to cancel it because of the people on the cut list,” Louretta Yee, junior said. “They told us too late. After everyone planned it so much.”

Although the cut list was not the only reason for the cancellation, it was a dominant issue that caused it, and it will continue to play a role in the outcome of future events. Students who continue to appear on the cut list will not be allowed to attend future dances including prom, senior class events and may not be allowed to graduate on stage.