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<p>That’s not actually true, it is more due to the factually inaccurate “Technodarlings” article by Craig Vetter in the September 1983 issue of Playboy, but Vetter did dwell on the excesses of Steer Roast. Steer roast is a weekend long party thrown by Senior House, arguably the most counter-cultural of the dorms. It has been run each year since 1964. Apart from a gigantic barbecue (they do not call it Steer Roast for nothing). It usually features live music, mud-wrestling, and a variety of other entertainment. </p>
<p>Although some very, very big bands have been booked to play Steer Roast, particularly in the late 70’s, at the time the Playboy article came out, Steer Roast was being held at roughly the same time as Spring Weekend. But still the bands leading up to the Playboy award were:
1983 Cheap Trick
1984 The Tubes
1985 REM
1986 Ministry
1987 Squeeze
So a pretty good run for a party school.</p>
<p>I find it curious that many of the things that led to that award were already banned by 1987. The long-standing tradition of screening Registration Day Pornography was banned in 1986. The open bar of recreational pharmaceuticals which was a Senior House tradition in the early 80’s vanished by the mid-80’s as well. MIT, to a large degree, cleaned up its act, at least as far as health and safety goes.</p>