Ah, to be a senior and look back on my years here. Remember that year Spring Fling turned into a mass−casualty incident? Remember when Fall Ball was the hottest, grimiest jumblef−−− within a 1,000 mile radius? Or when it was legal to know (in the biblical sense) that guy or girl from your Intro to Philosophy class with your roommate in their bed four feet away? Oh, the memories.
I can't say I remember all of them, but that's beside the point. In light of the recent "success" of Fall Ball, I'm led to reflect on the bad old years when we turned school events into mass−casualty incidents, had Senior Pub Nights cancelled (tip of the cap, class of '09) and all around perhaps had a little more fun.
Over the past couple of years, the administration has passed measures to clean up the school. They are less lenient on infractions and more controlling on school−sponsored events. Let me make it clear: I do not at all blame them for it. They are the administration. This is what they do. And clearly, we have given them good reason to take away some privileges from us. But damn, I wish they were still as ignorant as they used to be.
I don't for one second doubt that Tufts students have been acting like jackasses for decades. Part of going off to college for many students is that period of years when we have only minor supervision, minor responsibility and major ambitions to push life a bit too far. The administration should not blame the student body for this. It's the student body. It's what we do.
I am 21 now, and for the first time, I actually find myself living a reasonably legal life. Granted, I still park anywhere on campus and ignore the Public Safety ticket (get a real job). But no longer is every drunken escapade an actual breach of the law.
However, I lament for those younger than me. You no longer have the one free pass on weed or alcohol abuse I had when I was a freshman (which I believe I used twice, ka−ching!). For many of you, you'll never have the experience of Spring Fling littered with beer cans brought in by seniors and consumed by everyone. This year, I'll actually need to bury that keg on the lawn.
I'm not trying to promote mass binge drinking at Tufts events; that would probably be preaching to the choir, anyhow. I just fondly remember those Sunday mornings when I spent half the day hunting down my phone and learning about my Saturday night. I also realize that my views do not reflect those of the majority of the student body, but I think there are a good number of students who look back on their college careers and think about a lot of good times that involve a lot of breaking the law.
It's with this mindset that I contemplate how successful Fall Ball was. Yes, there were fewer TEMS calls. Yes, it was less crowded and hot. But I will never forget my freshman year Fall Ball, where there must have been 4,000−plus people, and I was dumping bottles of water on myself to stay cool. And I won't forget the Winter Bash when I witnessed a person try to climb out the window of the shuttle bus while it was moving. Those were successful events. And who knows, maybe these things still happen. Maybe it's just the nostalgia that comes from being at the end and looking back at the beginning. But over the last couple of years, I've watched the administration wisen up to our shenanigans. It's a pity. Maybe they'll hold off the fun death−sentence for just nine more months. Come on, Bacow, let's blow out our last year in style.
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