Blickstead and Eddleston also said they didn’t agree with Illingworth’s rationale in drawing a distinction between clubs and other potential party venues, such as hotels.

Illingworth said that hotels have a “different atmosphere,” and in general make for safer parties.

“Some of [Illingworth’s] points didn’t really click,” Eddleston said. “The fact of the matter is, transportation is going to be an issue no matter where you go. Illicit drug use can happen anywhere.”

Clubs also have benefits that can’t be found in hotels or other venues, Eddleston said.

“We’re dealing with a place that costs less, where people have more fun,” Eddleston said. “But we’re essentially being told we can’t have it there because the name of the institution is a club.”

Eddleston said he thought the lessons of recent night club tragedies are being misapplied.

“It’s just really a shame because I feel like the deans’ initiative stems from genuine concern for students, but in that sense it’s misguided,” Eddleston said.

“They cited the Rhode Island incident four times, but that was a concert, with pyrotechnics, completely different then anything we would imagine.”

—Staff writer Katharine A. Kaplan can be reached at kkaplan@fas.harvard.edu