Now that the infamous May Weekend has come and passed, I wanted to reflect on the pros and cons of the weekend. I also wanted to talk about the line of security guards and Hamden police officers who looked over the fields while hundreds of students enjoyed the beautiful weather and various beverages in Pepsi cups.
To start off, I want to commend the security staff for the level of balance they provided the students over the weekend. From my personal experience, I felt that the rules that were enforced were very reasonable. Many more students could have been punished or restricted from the activities they participated in and fortunately they were not. It seemed like everyone out on the fields or the students who went up to Hill-Vill circle were having a great time. The partying that went on outside was within reason and I know that the security officers knew that while we played dizzy bat, we were not drinking water out of the bat. Overall, campus security kept students safe while also allowing them to enjoy the weekend.
On the other hand, I’ve heard that the “May Weekend” that we just experienced does not compare to the May Weekends of the past. I guess people used to be able to play Beirut out on the fields, as long as security couldn’t tell what was in the cups – again, this is all what I’ve heard, as I was not here that many years ago. I understand that security needed to be clamped down a bit more once students were getting injured or even killed, but I feel like we could still have a May Weekend that resembles more of what other schools have.
For instance, UConn’s Spring Weekend is outrageous. There were numerous games of Beirut being played and students outside in the complex until 2 a.m. I know this because some of my roommates went Friday night for the experience which they described like nothing else they’ve ever done.
Maybe in the future, we can somehow move more in that direction. But I’m sure if the administration has anything to say about it, they’ll keep putting events such as Relay For Life on the same weekend that coincides with the unofficial May Weekend. How coincidental. Colleges such as the University of New Haven still have Spring Weekend events with carnivals and concerts. If other universities can have official school sponsered events, why can’t Quinnipiac? Students are going to have their own “spirited” May Weekend regardless of whether or not the univeristy has official events.
My favorite aspect of this year’s unofficial weekend was the social part. There was no need for party hopping, everyone was in the same place, everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather and Quinnipiac campus, and everyone was sampling each other’s tasty delights. It was also nice to see the majority of the students having some school spirit. I know that administration does not encourage the Quinnipiac May Weekend T-shirts, but hey, it gets the students to unite for a specific reason. More students were sporting those shirts and showing his or her Quinnipiac pride than usual.
Overall, this was a great weekend. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, security was plenty lenient and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’re ready for summer. It was a perfect preview of fun summer days with friends and don’t worry, those days are just around the corner!
