Dear Members of the Tufts Student Body:
As Co-Chairs of the Programming Board here at Tufts, we would like to officially welcome you back to the Hill for second semester. We hope that the events we have organized and are in the process of planning will make your semester enjoyable and memorable.
However, it is with great displeasure that we find ourselves writing to you in regards to last weekend's Winter Bash. The behavior of certain students has led us to question whether events like Winter Bash can be held again in the future. The excessive level of intoxication (leading to an inflated number of alcohol-related medical emergencies) and the disrespectful and sometimes violent behavior students exhibited toward volunteers and staff was beyond what we could have imagined.
We are aware that there were issues with traffic flow and bathroom access and we are working to fix those problems for the future. However, as both your peers and those responsible for the organization of not only Winter Bash but also other campus functions, it is imperative that you, our fellow students, recognize your role in ensuring the safety of others and the success of events.
For students to urinate in inappropriate places, verbally and physically harass volunteers and allow themselves to become intoxicated to the point of inflicting bodily harm is below the standard to which we should hold ourselves as Tufts students. Aside from the evident detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption, there were also a high number of alcohol-related transports to area hospitals. So often we are reminded that we are the future leaders of our generation, and as such it is our responsibility to realize the consequences of our decisions and actions.
As we continue through the second semester, we ask for your help. Putting on an event takes considerable time to plan and coordinate, but we enjoy every moment of it knowing we might make the student experience more memorable. Let Winter Bash serve as a learning experience and as a point from which we can move forward. We are hoping that in the future you will make choices that will allow us to continue to do what we enjoy most: offer programs and entertainment to the Tufts student body.
Sincerely,
Vanessa White and Ben Moskowitz
Programming Board Co-Chairs
Class of 2009
