2003: Hoedown Tradition should End - 5/8/2003
Hoedown tradition should end
By: Peter Trovato, Collegian Columnist
Posted: 5/8/03
As of late, the 5 o'clock news has not been friendly to UMass. Reports documenting rape, theft and budget cuts seem to be the only time the flagship university receives any press attention. And the latest incident to make newspaper headlines and breaking news segments was the debacle that took place this weekend: the annual Hobart Hoedown gone wrong. But can this party ever go right? The answer, which is becoming ever more apparent, is no.
And the sole blame for the annual party going awry goes to us - the students. It is not the police or the non-student residents of Hobart Lane. It is the students who have ruined this social gathering. A gathering that, through the years, has only garnered infamy because of the disorderly conduct that takes place. Last Saturday, the unruly behavior of UMass' finest resulted in an embarrassment for both the University and students.
Amidst all the problems the University faces regarding budget cuts being handed down from the state, a riot breaks out - an uprising that didn't represent a celebration of a super bowl victory or advocate for social justice. Instead, a riot "just for the hell of it." Let's pelt police officials with rocks and beer bottles; let's light trees on fire and turn over cars. After all, that's what really makes a party. While some people are investing their time in saving UMass, attending rallies for more funding and demanding a better learning environment, others are systematically tearing it down live on the 5 o'clock news.
I doubt there will be another Hobart Hoedown, and rightfully so. It just isn't worth it. There has to be another way for students to convene on a spring weekend. The Hoedown, simply put, is a disaster. But every year, thousands of students flock to Hobart Lane and that is why it is our fault. Our continued support of the event allows for its conception. And the only way for it to end is for the students to refuse to attend the springtime festivities.
Some will be shocked and scream from the mountaintops that the Hoedown is a tradition. But it is time for students to question our traditions, because these traditions are hurting us in the long run. Before our eyes, our school is being dismantled by the State House - bonds are being rejected and buildings plans are being smashed. We have no ground to fight for our school if we shoot ourselves in the foot by injuring 15 police officials in a riot.
If you think the two are unrelated, you're sorely mistaken. It is taxpayer's dollars that fund this University. Unfortunately, for us, taxpayers watch television and read the newspaper. Seeing drunken college students smashing the windows of police vehicles and burning oak trees doesn't sit well.
There has to be an alternative for our spring weekend. Students have to find a different place to party. The Hoedown is not working anymore - this weekend being the best evidence for that. Next year when spring weekend rolls around, students should stay away from Hobart Lane and find another outlet. A safer, more accepted place to get together on one of the last weekends of the year. Whatever that place may be, it is going to take the responsibility of the students to realize what they are representing. At all times we represent our school. When a few of us turn over cars in Puffton, the entire university turns it over too; when a few of us smash beer bottles in a riot, the entire university does the same thing.
At the same rate, when some fight for this school to be upheld, we all fight together. When a rally of 500 people takes place in Boston it is really a rally of 25,000. And in order for us to go forward in the battle for our school, the media cannot be reporting violence on this campus constantly.
And what happened this weekend can no longer happen. The Hoedown has been a black mark on the University for quite a while now. It is supposed to be fun, but the "fun" is not helping the overall cause of the students. Keeping the University the number one priority, the Hoedown should be shut down forever.
© Copyright 2007 The Daily Collegian
