An open response to President Bacow

Dear President Bacow,

I realize I may be bringing a bit too much attention to myself with this reply, but I felt compelled to respond anyway. I agree with much of what you had to say, but there are a few points I wanted to address, and some things I wanted to point out.

"Today's police reports describe acute alcohol poisoning..."

I'm probably as glad as you are that no one was permanently injured. However, I think the alcohol poisoning issue is a separate one. I'm an older student, in the REAL program, and four of my pre-college years were spent in the army. While I'm far from a serious drinker now (last night was the first beer I've had in weeks), I can say for sure that I had some issues with drinking while I was in the service, particularly while stationed overseas. While I can understand (and appreciate) your issues and concern with alcohol abuse on this campus, I think perhaps finding a way to help students understand the line between blowing off steam versus outright abuse would be a better idea than chalking up the alcohol incident as just one more reason this event could be considered to be out of hand.

I'll be the first to admit that when I was a 19-year-old soldier, I was pretty much out of control, and half a step away from becoming an alcoholic. These days I have a lot more respect for alcohol, but I wish to point out that (and I hate to say it this way) kids will be kids... And that yes, alcohol is an issue, but not one that is specific to West Hall, or to the run. The incidents were more likely fueled partly by an end-of-semester-manic feeling, and partly by students that simply haven't discovered their own limits. Again, I'm not saying that alcohol isn't an issue. I'm trying to defend the run as a tradition, as well as the accompanying party. Maybe alcohol abuse shouldn't be part of the tradition, but the run itself seems to go hand in hand with the last day of classes party. I'm sure that you've been faced repeatedly with the prospect of having to draw a line between allowing students to find their own limits and cracking down on the drinking. Obviously my argument falls almost entirely on the side of allowing students to find their own limits. That being said, I'm also a strong advocate among my friends when the time comes to call TEMS. I happen to believe that sometimes getting in trouble is what shows people where their limits actually are. I got in a fair share of trouble myself at 19, and I'm a firm believer in consequences when the aforementioned limit is reached. For sure, I got in plenty of trouble myself, but I'd also willingly concede that I deserved it, and that it helped me to straighten out. I don't want to be the one to exact the discipline myself, but I'm certainly not going to shelter someone from it when their behavior is that extremely dangerous and self-destructive.

"...at least one fracture, a shoulder dislocation, and cuts and abrasions. Fortunately, the only lasting injuries appear to be to some students' egos."

It is very fortunate that there weren't lasting injuries indeed. But again, I'm not entirely sure it's something that can be chalked up specifically to the use of alcohol. Herds of college students stampeding out in a manic rush is, well, a stampede. I was warned myself by several students that once the run gets going, it's best to get a move on. My fear here is that an admission to joining in this tradition and accepting its potential hazards will be viewed by you as a simple statement that it's a hazardous event. It's not. But adrenaline does strange things to people, and when large groups of people are stampeding along, it's possible to trip and fall. Cuts and abrasions are probably as attributable to the unprotected nature of the event as they are to actual hazards. I've seen students slip and fall on steps on almost every building in the wintertime. Lacking clothes, cuts and scrapes are the obvious result. I understand your concerns with physical safety, but I think you'd be surprised how aware the runners are already of these hazards, and I think you'd have been just as proud of us for stopping to help those who did trip and fall. The fracture and dislocation I wasn't privy to, and won't try to justify, but again, all concerned are very much aware of the fact that it would be a stampede. I personally can't say for sure if this was a similar amount of injury to other years, or if it was an exception. But I also can't say that it's a risk most of us aren't aware of when we get ready to fly out of the basement of West Hall.

"The campus this morning was littered with beer cans and broken bottles."

Very true... but again, hardly something that should be attributed solely to the runners, or the parties in West Hall. Spectators gather round from all over campus, and come in from off-campus, and many bring in their own beverages. I think if you recall the condition of your lawn last year after spring fling, you'd at least give some thought to the idea that such a festival does unfortunately lend itself to a certain amount of trash being left behind. Please don't think I'm trying to defend the littering of the campus... I'm not. I'm trying to point out that the naked quad run is sort of a centerpiece for a general celebration of the end of classes, and that a fair amount of trash should be anticipated and taken into consideration. Having been a runner myself, I can testify to the size of the crowds. Maybe having some more trash barrels brought in for the event might have helped ease the damage. Personally, I don't recall seeing very many of them, but my mind was on other things...

"West Hall this morning was an embarrassment for all members of this community."

Fair enough. Yet I can't help but think that end of semester stress contributes naturally to such a party. Yes, it's a disgrace. But (and again, I'm not excusing, just explaining) I think that if the end of the semester was as stressful for the younger students as it was for me, that's when things get a little fast and loose around the edges, until the appropriate amount of steam has been vented. Sometimes there's a loss of some dignity when that point gets reached. That shouldn't be the sole point of judgment. I'm not sure if the solution would be to set up temporary party tents for the night, and expect a little mayhem, or if maybe there's another way, but I feel compelled to point out that most of my peers, whether in the Army, post-army experiences, or my friends here in college are normally very much aware that there is a price to pay in the way of cleanup for a really big party. Perhaps finding a way to make the following day a traditional clean-up day for the students would be more profitable than trying to convince a large mob of wound-up students to calm down. It gives them the option of blowing off steam, and also that of deciding just how much they want to deal with in the way of cleanup the next day. Yes, this is your school, and your charge. But it's also their home, and the place they'll fall apart when they need to.

Again, I'm not trying to convince you that things should naturally be this way, but the amount of sheer energy at this time of year is almost unavoidable. I'd like to think that on such a night, when such a large proportion of the student body bares all in a literal sense, that it shouldn't be entirely unacceptable for the student body as a whole to be a little less restrained, (note that I don't say less responsible). I think it should be a normal thing for students to be able to stagger out in the morning and help put everything back the way it's supposed to be. But the mess is still something that can be anticipated as much as the need to clean it up the next morning.

"I also heard reports of students being groped while running, and other examples of poor and disrespectful behavior. Tufts is better than this."

I agree, though I didn't hear the reports myself. When I mentioned earlier that students should be allowed to be a little less restrained, that doesn't mean less respectful.

"I have higher expectations for you, and candidly, hope that you have higher expectations for yourself. I will talk with the Deans, faculty, and student leaders on campus about how to move forward. Let's work together to make changes so that what happened last night is not repeated in the future."

I think we do have high expectations for ourselves... but at the same time, a pretty fair estimation of our own humanity. I'm actually fairly impressed that the student body generally trusts each other enough to be able to throw that kind of a party, or to be able to run en masse sans clothing, repeatedly. That naturally makes the groping reports all the worse, but it's still a pretty impressive thing for the students trust each other enough to be able to continue this kind of thing as a tradition with the turnout that it has, both in terms of runners and spectators.

I think perhaps if the naked quad run was viewed more as a generally large party surrounding a spectacle, much of what you describe in terms of litter and behavior would fall under the category of things that could be anticipated and prepared for, and "what happened last night" would be viewed as less of a disgrace than your letter implies.

Gratefully yours,

James Watriss

James Watriss '03 is a REAL student majoring in English.