Vanderbilt University is a well-rounded school. This is demonstrated by our rank of 18 in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 rankings of national universities and our ranking in The Princeton Review for best fraternity and sorority scene. It is a factor that probably drew most of the students here. However, it seems that our university is changing.
In the last four days, there has been nothing on Vanderbilt’s campus that can really be classified as a party. As a freshman, my first night on campus was one of my most memorable. Living in Branscomb and being able to walk out to the parties was the best part. Last night in front of Branscomb, the line for the cabs was longer than any line I have seen at a fraternity.
What brought about the changes' Was it the freshman that was sent to the hospital last year for alcohol-related illness' Was it the fraternities that have been kicked off campus in previous years' The banning of parties during these first few nights does not prevent either of these things from occurring.
After the Branscomb Beach Bash, freshmen shouldn’t be expected to return to their rooms; there should be something else for them to do on campus- not downtown. We take so much pride in our fraternity and sorority life, but this is not on display for the freshmen at all. Maybe it shouldn’t be the main focus the first week of school, but it is something that should be recognized. There are four days at the beginning of the semester during which we are free to not worry about scholastics, but with nothing to do on campus, there is little to distract us. Maybe as school gets started, things will change, and we can only hope that things get back to normal very soon.
Keeping them out until midnight every night of the week for VUcept doesn’t make freshmen less likely to go out, it just makes them more likely to drink fast so that they can get out to the parties before it is too late. Binge drinking is what got us into this predicament in the first place. Should we really be promoting this' Freshmen have their freedom for the first time, and we are treating them like they are at summer camp. I think that the dancing the freshmen displayed on the General Jackson the second day of VUcept speaks for itself- these freshmen are not here just for the studying. The regulations that are being imposed on this freshman class are not helping them at all, and they are hurting Vanderbilt’s reputation.
Vanderbilt prides itself on all of its rankings. With the college halls ultimately improving our scholastic rankings, we need to make sure that we do not sacrifice our party scene and change our beloved Vanderbilt completely.
Sara Tabor is a junior in Peabody College.
