A huge topic of discussion these days is the rumor that the popular student holiday, State Patty’s Day, is canceled this year. It’s confirmed that the Inter Fraternity Council has voted to not host any parties on February 25th, the day chosen to be the holiday this year. It’s believed that because Penn State has been under much scrutiny from the media in recent months, we should be able to prove that Penn State is not just a party school.
Lexi Belculfine, the Editor in Chief, believes that this is a positive decision, and the rest of the school should follow suit. Instead of using the day as an excuse to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, the day should be used as a reason to be sober. Belculfine calls for the end of the sales in “State Patty’s Day” memorabilia, for the bars to keep their normal hours, instead of opening early, and for students to not have friends come visit that weekend. Belculfine hopes that the school will be able to stay sober as a joint effort from students, clubs and the downtown areas.
Upon hearing the news that the infamous State Patty’s Day might be canceled this year, I can’t help but admit that I was a little disappointed. I have never experienced the holiday, in fact, I had never even has heard of it until attending Penn State. After some thought, I realized that this was exactly what the university needed. A reason for the binge drinking to stop, a reason to start over, and the reason is media. We are constantly being watched, and the comments on our behavior never stop. It’s time to prove to the world, and ourselves, that we are worth the stock put into us.
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This holiday as stupid and pointless some may view it will never be cancelled. Penn State has no authority to cancel the holiday. The holiday will continue because companies make money off the merchandise they sell. Alcohol distributors will not turn down sales. The IFC cancelling parties is a mistake in my opinion. The IFC has strict rules for parties and if broken the fraternities will face severe consequences. The rules make for a safer environment for people as opposed to house parties. The holiday can't be stopped and the IFC ruling will lead people to go to unregulated parties which can become more dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWhile the cancelling of State Patty's Day does not matter to me much, largely due to the fact that I won't even be here that weekend, I do understand the IFC's stance. I think that since the "holiday" is not affiliated with the University, we should not necessarily be too concerned with how it makes Penn State appear. Granted, the "holiday" does involve Penn State students but essentially, after the year we've been having, it seems as if the media will never find positive things to say about us. Furthermore, as Pete noted, with the cancelling of State Patty's Day, it will only make us seem worse, with people rebelling against the rules and drinking more than they probably would if the IFC did not cancel State Patty's Day. Essentially, this decision seems to be rather unexpected and it will probably do more harm than good. But with that said, I completely understand your point. I just think that the IFC will need to come up with some alternatives.
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