Remember the administrative aftermath of last year’s Tour de Franzia? Here’s the short version: the University fined the residents of 1 Pearl Place $2,000 in campus damage for having “organized” the event–and threatened to withhold diplomas if they didn’t pay up. Their charge: creating the Tour de Franzia Facebook event. Here’s the Wesleying post extolling students (particularly Franz-participants) to “Help Out the Innocents of 1 Pearl Place” and throw some dough in their online donation page. (Oh, and a 62-response comment thread. Happy studying.)
This year, P-Safe director Dave Meyer announced plans to “take some precautionary measures and deal with any organizers ahead of time.” But there was no such action: Tour de Franzia was “organized” (read: a date was declared) from an anonymous Facebook profile, which was deactivated immediately post-Franz. Good thinking.
But the administration knows what’s up, and there apparently will be “judicial charges against those students who may have violated Wesleyan’s Code of Conduct.” No word on how those individuals will be identified–or what the charges will entail. (Does “all available documentation of the event” refer to P-Safe’s apparent video footage of streakers and partiers on Fountain?)
Here’s Dean Mike Whaley‘s thrillingly ambiguous all-campus announcement in full. Offer up your interpretations in the comments.
Dear Students,
I hope that your final projects and papers are going well. In addition to my good wishes for a successful conclusion to your academic work, I also wanted to send a note to register my concern about the “Tour de Franzia” event this past weekend.
For the second year in a row, the Student Affairs staff has concerns about several aspects of the event. Specifically, there was significant high-risk drinking resulting in students being transported to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, damage and vandalism across campus, numerous complaints from neighbors living adjacent to campus, and disrespectful treatment of the Public Safety officers who were attempting to monitor and address concerns that arose during the event.
The Dean of Students office will review all available documentation of the event and pursue judicial charges against those students who may have violated Wesleyan’s Code of Conduct. My office will also plan to work with student leadership in the coming year to eliminate the problematic aspects of the event that I’ve articulated above.
Sincerely,
Dean Mike Whaley
http://collegeacb.com/sb/wes/thread/1133818
If something’s fucked up, organize against it and demonstrate! I’d like
to see way more people here get serious about shit that they think
matters.
But let me give you a fucking hint: you’ll look like a fucking idiot
if you demonstrate about this. It’s not your fucking right to break
windows, throw up everywhere, trespass, knock over port-o-potties,
spraypaint penises on cars, or jump on them. And don’t give me this
bullshit about videotaping naked people. That’s indecent exposure no
matter where you go, and I’m sure you would have cried foul if psafe
tried to arrest you then, too.
I had the opportunity to watch TDF go down while completely sober,
as I had a fuckload of work due in the next few days. Almost all of you
were nothing but fucking embarrassing.
And then to listen to you sorry fucks whine about “what Wes is becoming.” It makes me fucking sick.
Not too long ago, Wes’ nightlife consisted of getting a group of
friends or not-so-friends together in a room or on the hill, passing
around a joint, and having silly/interesting/relaxing
moments/conversations with each other. Not too long ago, people actually
gave a shit about art, music, and activism, and events weren’t just an
excuse to get shitfaced and draw attention to yourself in a desperate
attempt to fuck someone’s brains out by the end of the night. Not too
long ago, getting naked was an ideological and respectable thing to do,
not just something silly that happens when you chug a box of wine.
I could go on, but I won’t. Something has fucking changed a LOT
since I came here as a freshman, and while I have a few theories, I’ll
keep my mouth shut. But this place used to mean something, and I’m not
so sure it does anymore.
C ‘n’ P’d from the ACB
do YOU still do the things that you say make this place “mean something”?
Yo boy/girl,
relax.
Wesleyan was fine before you and it’ll be fine after you. Partying –and doing it well and creatively– has always happened at Wes. Great that you’re doing your homework and getting naked for legitimate reasons, but don’t worry that shit’s changing. People were just having a great time I’m sure. Of course they were irresponsible. Is this post secretly a stoner’s diatribe against drinking?
The school will stay cool.
-Alum
Dear Dean Whaley,Antagonism breeds antagonism. We do not respect you primarily because you do not respect us…that documentation, specifically videotaped evidence, of our debauchery, will not do anything to aid your cause. If Public Safety has an interest in our Safety, as a general Public, then aid us in the prevention of harm to the neighborhoods to which we belong, and to ourselves. Snatching bags of wine from the hands of unawares students of legal drinking age is not an effective nor positive interaction, and breeds the antagonism of which I wrote, and which bears so heavily as to be equivalent to the sixty pairs of wine-stained shoes I hear trampled a P-Safe vehicle. That’s all one though. Pursue this course at our own risk, of further isolating the administration from the student body, and creating more division between us, rather than aiding in the creation of a singular community that students would self-police. If we respected Public Safety I assure you their property and your considerations would not be so thoroughly damaged.
Oh be cool. I participated in the tour with every expectation that the administration would do everything to stop it, and knowing that according to the rules of the university, as they stand now, they had every right to do so. By all means, go out, party, drink, do stupid shit. I do. But don’t be so entitled as to expect everyone to let you do whatever you want.
I don’t know where you live, but pretty much everywhere in the world, running around at night drinking wine from a plastic bag and screaming is going to get your ass arrested. So do what you feel like, be slick about it, and dont get caught. And if you do, please try and express your protest in a tone that doesnt absolutely scream, “liberal arts college kid.”
You sound like a dick.
Not respecting someone or something isn’t just cause to fuck up property.
Who the hell do you think ends up getting the bill at the end? Your fucking neighbors.
Dear Dean Whaley,
We know you don’t approve of this event. That was pretty much assumed. Also, I don’t know if there are problematic “aspects” of the event. I’m pretty sure the whole event is problematic. But thanks for letting us know. We’re probably just going to do it anyway.
wolf whaley robbin’ them…
wholesale douchebaggery