Spartans. Knock it off.
It’s good to be back on campus, it’s great to see your friends, it’s fine that you want to party. And we do. But it’s excessive. There’s got to be a limit to the party and the noise. We didn’t have such a hot start to the school year making us look good, that’s for sure.
The sheer magnitude of students that prowled this town inebriated over the last few weekend evenings was embarrassing and of no end to annoyance for the folks who live here. Not one cent of respect was given to the residents of this town once we got back.
We were very loud. We were very drunk. We were leaving garbage, cans and broken glass on lawns and in the streets. We yelled from house to house, in back yards, blared music, and treated Castleton as if it were literally a stomping ground. As if we owned the place.
But we don’t own Castleton. The people who own Castleton are the people who pay taxes and live fifty two weeks out of the year here. We are guests. But we’re the kind of guest that arrives completely belligerent, demands to be treated with respect and gives none. And then we hang out for fifteen weeks. How would you like that guest living in your house?
It’s ironic that in between all that noise, booze and good times, we were harming ourselves the most. Could you hear the ambulances shriek through the streets of the weekends? Did you see the flashing lights of the police?
We think it’s a game, that we’re just having fun and that we’ve earned the right to indulge in the atmosphere of the party. Now look ahead. You’re an adult, you have children and responsibilities. What would you do if there were groups of rowdy students walking the streets every weekend for the better part of the year?
Put yourself in the shoes of the people that are here throughout the year and think about how they feel. Ask yourself: Do the cops want to break up a party of drunken students? Do you think EMTs appreciate transporting us when we become alcohol poisoned and need to shove a tube down our throat and into our stomach?
Treat the residents of this town with respect. Treat the people who go out of their way to protect us, the EMTs and the officers who keep us safe and patrol this town, with respect. Deny any of them that simple human right, and they will make our lives very difficult. And treat yourselves with respect. You determine the legacy of this school.
Think. We’re adults now. The gang’s all here and have a good time, by all means. But do it in a way that will not hurt and offend those around. You do not have the right to stigmatize future students from the decisions that could have been prevented if it weren’t with just some common sense and courtesy.
Remember, we are Spartans. Reign it in and walk tall.