Author:
The Occidental College Administration, intelligent and friendly that it is, only wishes us the best. In its opinion, “the best” consists of quality academics, functional housing, proper facilities and enough goodwill to increase the number and quality of applicants and alumni donations. Notably, “the best” does not include the opportunity to get smashed every weekend off-campus. Partying brings the college no prestige and strains our relationship with our neighbors.
That being said, our administration’s guideline grid for evaluating off-campus parties is an illegitimate document. I declare it to be null and void; the table clearly assaults our right to assemble and our freedom to party.
According to the table, Level 3 includes “Large Gathering,” “Alcohol Use,” “Excessive Littering,” “Crowds in the Street,” and “Lewd Behavior.” It’s clear that only some infractions need be fulfilled for a party to be classified as Level 3. If there are large crowds swigging brandy in the streets, even if they aren’t lewd, the administration will surely throw the book at them. But what if there is a large crowd without alcohol that is littering lewdly?
Let’s say a student has 25 communist friends over, and because they’re communists, they’re all naked. It’s a gathering, with, and I quote from the guidelines, “Lewd Behavior.” This is grounds for a Level 3 violation.
Who gives the Oxy Administration the right to moderate the lewdness of our behavior off campus? It’s a Level 3 violation to host lewd behavior, but I can assure you that plenty of lewd on-campus parties go unpunished. Who is our administration to determine what does and does not constitute lewd behavior? What happens if the administration labels an off-campus political rally “Lewd?” They have weasel-worded the guidelines to the point that almost any punishment could be given to anyone for any behavior.
By targeting those who throw parties with inconsistent, random and severe punishment, our administration makes would-be hosts uncertain enough that few would take the risks associated with hosting a party. They’re killing the what’s left of the social scene here. Who wants to go to the college where you can’t drink? I didn’t apply to Cal Lutheran because I don’t want my administration pontificating at me. Maybe I should have. Do not let this tyranny fade so quietly into the now-quieter night, Oxy. Show the administration that we are not so easily oppressed.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
