Senior Events To Make Sober Comeback During Senior Week

After more than a month to reflect on February’s Senior Cocktails fallout, the Senior Class Officers have formally announced what some have already suspected: reports of the death of Senior Cocks have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the events planned for Senior Week—an Outing Day and a Semi-Formal—are still on. From my inbox:

After working with the administration over the past weeks, we are pleased to announce that the events originally scheduled for Senior Week—Outing Day and Semi-Formal—will continue to be held on Tuesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 23 respectively. We are excited that our class will still have these opportunities to bond as a whole in an off-campus setting, and we look forward to planning them so that they are successful and enjoyable for all.

But there’s a twist. Come on, you can figure it out: 

It should not come as a surprise to any of us that after the last event the remaining events for Senior Week will be dry.   After our last event it became clear that due to the unanticipated costs the senior class incurred and the requirements of the bus companies  and venues with whom we contract, that the only way we could move forward was if we could insure those businesses that we would not experience similar problems during senior week.   However, we are confident that the absence of alcohol will not distract our class from having an excellent time socializing, dining, and dancing with each other.

Whether the classic Senior Cocktails model is gone for good or coming back with a vengeance next fall remains unclear. But given the damage, risk of lawsuits, and venue and bus company reactions after the last event, this move should be expected.

Could it have unanticipated consequences without meaningfully addressing the problems at hand? Some seniors are arguing as much:

What’s the solution? Argue in the comments.