The Smile Politely Editors are comprised of Justine Bursoni, Seth Fein, Joel Gillespie, Doug Hoepker, Brian McGovern, Ryan Neaveill and Dan Schreiber. They, along with the website designer Mason Kessinger and founding Editor-in-Chief Chris Maier, decide to highlight certain events going on in Champaign-Urbana in a democratic fashion, without bias, in order to best bring to you the finest information on the entertainment around town.
It's springtime, which means students at the University of Illinois (and all their friends, who come in from campuses all around) are ready to get their drink on. And you know why: It's Unofficial, people. According to a recent letter from the university provost's office, the big U "does not support or condone" the "annual business promotion known as Unofficial St. Patrick's Day (USPD)." But it doesn't matter who condones it, because the "holiday" marches on. In fact, this year, for the first time ever, Unofficial is a two-day event. This means more drunks in the bars, more puke on the sidewalks, more trips to the hospital (last year ambulances escorted 90 students) — but it also means more money in a lot of cash registers, including the Champaign city coffers.
At a packed city council meeting on Tuesday, Chancellor Richard Herman delivered an urgent plea to do away with the non-holiday. He cited the death of Carolyn Yoon, an Illinois graduate who died at what Herman dubbed, "an occasion that has no meaning other than to soil our campus and lower community standards." Last year, 176 students were arrested at Unofficial, and according to Herman, that was a 71 percent jump from last year's statistics.
But, then again, parties throughout the years have been much bigger and rowdier than these Green Street festivities. Ever been to Bourbon Street?
Comments (4)
Friday, February 29, 2008 6:54 PM
Yeah, has the Chancellor ever been to the tailgate parties at the Illini football games? Those crazy mobs get up early and start drinking at 8:00 in the morning when the game doesn't start unti 6:00 p.m. The only difference is in that scenario, the U of I makes a ton of money, whereas for Unofficial it's the bars that are raking in the dough. But I've never heard the Chancellor try to shut down the drunks at the UI football games. Seems like if the drunks are making money for the University then it's fine and dandy.
Friday, February 29, 2008 11:06 PM
I'm not really interested in drinking parties, so from my perspective unofficial is just a waste of time and resources.
Saturday, March 1, 2008 12:43 PM
Censorship?
The most powerful intoxicant - Anomynity plays a role. The university has more control via private security over private property, also via ticket holders, alumni, family,time limits, license plates and a tight knit sports commmunity.
There is also the issue of those who prey on the drunk and lost.
The local hospitals have refused to give stats to even the police, including those that have led to death. The ambulance calls are a guess. Perhaps because their profit margins exceed C.O. Daniels?
One would have to be naive and unobserving to assume all that goes on is reported in the media.
This attitude of treating students like customers instead of students is going to end. What does this system produce statically in student product? Is their a qualitative difference between our competitors overseas? How many are so lost and frustrated with empty relationships that they would create tradegy? And if you are going to have a beer festival, should'nt participants at least be able to graduate with the knowledge between a lager and ale? It is a big ten school right?
Sunday, March 2, 2008 12:14 AM
"...an occasion that has no meaning other than to soil our campus and lower community standards."
I couldn't agree more with the chancellor's statement, and as a U of I student myself, I received a mass email Friday morning being asked to not participate in the events of Unofficial. "While we know that the majority of students do not participate
in 'Unofficial St. Patrick's Day' activities, the students who do
participate warrant my writing."
The sobering (ha) truth is, however, the MAJORITY of students are participating, seemingly ignorant to the idea that they are merely a commodity to the likes of the Cochrane bar empire.
I just found it absurd that an email like that needed to be sent out, reminding students to not make fools of themselves and the university; to please not step out in front of traffic, to please not get arrested, to please not die due to obscene levels of intoxication.