It's great that the members of STRIPES want to bring the members of the organization closer together, but I think it's getting a bit ridiculous when you begin mandating that members must attend one team event per semester. The addition of having team baskets for the gala is just another unnecessary addition to STRIPES. Every time the "teams" are brought up in conversation, I only hear negative comments made about them. I think that the "teams" in STRIPES should be gotten rid of and a few social events per semester should be created (that are not mandatory to attend) for members who want to get to know other members or hang out with their STRIPES friends.