2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Mature adults?
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
03/28/08 - As a child, going to school dances was the ultimate treat. Dances provided something fun to do on a Friday or Saturday night as well as an opportunity for social interaction. But now as college students, going to dances in the University of Rhode Island's Memorial Union Ballroom must now be an event similar to a scene at airport security checkpoints thanks to the actions of a few individuals.
Because of a scuffle at the very first Memorial Union dance last September that resulted in a URI student being stabbed and two non-URI college students being charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault, the way security at events handled has now changed.
Certainly the last place one would expect to see security officers waving security wands at, patting down and checking the mouths of attendees would be in a university's student union.
In a perfect world, students should not have to worry about their safety when they attend a school dance, but the reality of the matter is that things can happen. While it is a positive step that the university has amped up its security measures in lieu of September's events, in actuality, it's something that may not have been previously necessary. At ages 18 to 22 and above, one would think that by now that students would have grown into mature adults and know that their actions have consequences on student groups throughout the university.
It is unfortunate that the incident had to force the university to cancel all dances during last semester. By not holding the dances and events, student groups who would normally raise money for charities as well as themselves from ticket sales lost a prime opportunity to do so. This unfortunate side effect has caused some student groups to wonder if their annual events will be a shadow of what they once were. That doesn't seem fair that the actions of a few have affected the many, but it is the harsh reality at this institution.
Hopefully people can learn from what has happened, act accordingly and cooperate with the new security policy as mature adults in order to enjoy events that are made possible thanks to their peers. One would hope with beefed up security, the remainder of this year's Memorial Union dances and events, as well as those in the future, will go on without a hitch.
Because of a scuffle at the very first Memorial Union dance last September that resulted in a URI student being stabbed and two non-URI college students being charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault, the way security at events handled has now changed.
Certainly the last place one would expect to see security officers waving security wands at, patting down and checking the mouths of attendees would be in a university's student union.
In a perfect world, students should not have to worry about their safety when they attend a school dance, but the reality of the matter is that things can happen. While it is a positive step that the university has amped up its security measures in lieu of September's events, in actuality, it's something that may not have been previously necessary. At ages 18 to 22 and above, one would think that by now that students would have grown into mature adults and know that their actions have consequences on student groups throughout the university.
It is unfortunate that the incident had to force the university to cancel all dances during last semester. By not holding the dances and events, student groups who would normally raise money for charities as well as themselves from ticket sales lost a prime opportunity to do so. This unfortunate side effect has caused some student groups to wonder if their annual events will be a shadow of what they once were. That doesn't seem fair that the actions of a few have affected the many, but it is the harsh reality at this institution.
Hopefully people can learn from what has happened, act accordingly and cooperate with the new security policy as mature adults in order to enjoy events that are made possible thanks to their peers. One would hope with beefed up security, the remainder of this year's Memorial Union dances and events, as well as those in the future, will go on without a hitch.