This was an odd event, and I think most any student of sociology would have been interested. The main part of Skit Nite is the presentation of about 4 hours worth of videos and live comedic performance. The vast majority of the skits roasted the faculty, and some roasted other students. All most all of it contained sexual innuendo. There were acts of simulated sex performed by a professor (playing a GYN patient) and a student. There were ratings of the sexual attractiveness of various female students, and there were pictures of full frontal nudity and an infected anus (all taken from our textbooks, of course). People reveled in the fact that they were getting drunk in our classroom. They enjoyed breaking the "No food or drinks" policy and threw half-full beer cans at the stage.
The night closed with a performance by the band "Pheno Barbie Doll." The last song was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, and it resulted in a full-on mosh pit. I haven't done that since high school. A professor removed his shirt and started dancing on stage. In the pit, I bled (which is good) and I broke the screen of my Handspring Visor (which is bad). By the end of the night the school was trashed. Intoxicated 2nd-years tore the papers off of all the bulletin boards. Beer cans and cups are strewn all over the school. We are going to get into trouble.
Yes, I realize this wasn't a full-fledged bacchanal. There was no sex, and I only saw one ass. The violence was short lived, and there were no fires. But there was something about it that was different from just a wild party. This was a definite release mechanism. It was a school-condoned function where frustrated students lashed out against our faculty and the dump where we practically live.