By Ricky Thompson

When the doors leading to the Frost Lounge opened for business last Thursday, nearly a dozen students were there, waiting.

For the third time in four days, Senior Week tickets were on sale inside.

Leading the pack was Pat Sullivan, who had already decided the events he would attend.

“I’m doing the [harbor] cruise and the Top of the Hub,” the communications major said.

This year’s Senior Week activities, which will take place at the end of April, have been in the works for nearly six months and offer a wide range of opportunities, said 2005 Class Council President Heidi Squires.

In order to attend specific events, seniors must purchase tickets in advance from the organization. The final day for transactions is Thursday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Leading off the week, seniors are invited to test their luck at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. on Monday, April 25. For $30, the trip includes transportation, two $5 gambling coupons and a buffet meal. Admission to Mohegan’s Ultra 88 Night Club, which houses a state-of-the-art, 30,000 watt Avalon sound system, is also included.

The bus is scheduled to leave campus at 4 p.m. and return at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Unique to this year’s celebration series is a night at Jake Ivory’s April 26. Located at 9 Lansdowne St., the club claims to have”America’s hottest dueling piano show,” featuring two pianists performing opposite each other and playing an array of rock music dating back to the 1950s. Tickets to attend are $15 and include entry into a raffle for a pair of Red Sox tickets for later this season.

Squires said this was arranged, in part, due to a setback the council experienced in acquiring tickets for the seniors to spend an evening at Fenway Park.

“We were supposed to get Red Sox tickets but we got screwed out of those,” she said.

Sullivan said the proximity of the casino and the club was a factor that led him to exclude the pair from his itinerary.

“If I wanted to go to Mohegan Sun, I could go on my own, and I’m not too big a fan of Jake Ivory’s,” he said.

On Wednesday, April 27, the Office of Alumni Relations is organizing the Senior Sendoff Barbecue at 11:30 a.m. in Krentzman Quad. Participation is free for all members of the graduating class.

Later that evening, Boston’s skyline will serve as the backdrop to the Senior Ball at the Prudential Tower’s Top of the Hub restaurant, located 52 stories above the ground. The banquet begins at 7 p.m. and will be highlighted by a three-course dinner and musical entertainment.

The Senior Ball, at $60 a ticket, has the smallest seating capacity of the week’s activities. Although it also has the highest cost, Squires said she did not think that would deter attendance.

“That’ll come pretty close to selling out, we predict,” she said.

The week’s largest event is a cruise along Boston Harbor, which can provide space for 850 seniors at $35 per person. The cruise will set sail on Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m. and is scheduled to return at 10 p.m. Transportation to and from the boat is included in the ticket purchase.

On Friday, April 29, seniors and their guests are invited to President Richard Freeland’s Champagne Toast from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Curry Student Center.

Two of this year’s events have been popular with past graduating classes.

“The Boston Harbor cruise and the Senior Ball are held every year,” Squires said. “Last year they had [the ball] at the Top of the Hub, so we just did that again because people seemed to like it.”

Multimedia studies major John Guiney said he was interested in the cruise.

“I picked the [harbor] cruise and the bar,” he said. “My friends were seniors last year and said it was really fun.”

Like Sullivan, Guiney said he would forego the gambling.

“I’ve been to casinos before,” he said. “I’ve never been to the Top of the Hub, but I don’t feel like dropping $60 on that right now, even though I know it’s a good deal.”

Squires said she feared some students might overlook the casino trip without realizing its overall value.

“I think for Mohegan Sun, [seniors] don’t understand how much extra they get. With all the free stuff they get passed out on the bus, it makes up for the $35,” she said. “It’s a good deal.”

Despite Squires’ sentiment, the only bet Mark Troyanovsky is placing during Senior Week is on a good time.

“It should be a lot of fun,” the business major said. “I have high expectations.”

Troyanovsky said he was buying a ticket “just for the harbor cruise, hands down.”

“People go to Mohegan Sun all the time, but [harbor] cruises are crazy,” he said.