The annual party is the most prestigious of the academic table parties. This is reflected in the evening's programme and highlighted by the lavish dress and behaviour of the celebrants.
How to dress
The look and feel of a party is largely determined by the way the partygoers dress. The dress code is expressed in terms of what is expected of male celebrants, which women will apply to their own level of dress. The dress code for Indecs' 38th anniversary celebrations is a ceremonial gown with academic badges of honour.
A party dress, also known as a white tie, is the most festive outfit for an evening party. For men it is a tailcoat, for women it is a long dress. A black dress can be substituted for the tailcoat. A white shirt and pearl grey tie is the most formal combination to wear with a black suit. A tuxedo can never be substituted for a tailcoat. The colour of the waistcoat for evening events is usually white.
At academic dinner parties, the outfit often includes any academic decorations. Academic medals are the honours and decorations awarded by universities and student societies, as well as student union/department ribbons. They are used only at ceremonies organised by universities and students' associations in accordance with the rules of the awarding body. At the 2018 Indecs Autumn General Assembly, a new Code of Conduct has been adopted, introducing the merit and honour badges and the ribbon. The Code of Conduct was also updated at the 2019 Autumn General Assembly. You can find the Code of Conduct at https://indecs.fi/dokumentit/.
Behaviour throughout the evening
You meet lots of people, both familiar and unfamiliar, at the annual party. The best way to get to know strangers is through introductions. It's a good idea to introduce yourself to the people around you at the beginning of the party if you don't know them well. At least the people sitting next to you should introduce themselves, but it may also be a good idea to have a few words with the people sitting next to them.
It is not allowed to eat, drink, grope or otherwise disturb the speaker during a speech. Speeches always end with a song, which usually accompanies the speech. It is also not customary to eat during a song, unless the song specifically requires it. As for drinking, it is customary not to drink any beverage, even water, before it has been opened. Opening here means that a speech is made and a song is sung, at the end of which the first sip is taken. At more prestigious celebrations, sub-style songs should not be sung at all, for example all the unpublishable songs of Rasputin (400-499). The master of ceremonies may wish to declare a truce, for example during the main course, so that people can enjoy the pleasures of eating rather than singing.
Source: the Student Union of Tampere University of Technology (2015). Sitsi Handbook from Tampere First edition. Pages 8-11 and 17-25.
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