Annual freshmen bust occurred right on schedule 

It’s an age old Wofford tradition to give Campus Safety the time of their lives on the first weekend of school. Annually, a record number of alcohol violations and drug violations are doled out on the weekend before classes begin and the first official weekend of school. 

My freshman year, the class of 2021 set the current record for the number of AVs issued that first weekend. In fact, Campus Union created a whole ad hoc committee to address underage drinking after we all went a little too ‘college kids gone wild.’ 

While it’s undoubtedly disappointing to Wofford students that we won’t get to partake in the normal party culture, it was assumed that we could collectively postpone our ragers to ensure we can remain on campus all semester.  

Although the risk of an alcohol violation usually does little to deter freshmen from letting loose on their first college weekend, Wofford administration hoped the risk of a covid-related violation would do the job. If these violations didn’t prevent partying, the constant anxiety that students may be forced to return home early in the case of an outbreak was sure to do the trick. Yet, on Saturday Aug. 29,, a party was held between Marsh and Greene halls, in the infamous ‘pit’, with a rumored sixty freshmen in attendance. 

Video footage of the event shows dozens of students congregated in the pit, with social distancing guidelines thrown to the wind and barely a mask in sight. Campus Safety was alerted of the event through use of the Silent Witness Form and quickly broke up the party. 

Dean Bigger informed the Old Gold & Black that “there have been 36 students charged with not wearing a mask. 

In addition, Dean Brian Lemere, Allen Lollis and I have had numerous meetings and conversations with students about the guidelines and why they are in place. Several students were given ‘formal warnings’ and asked to write a reflection after the meeting”.

It appears that these warnings and the handful of alcohol violations that were handed out did the job. In the weeks since this party there have been no other large gatherings in Freshman-land and Wofford is operating semi-normal. Now that the first weekend bonanza is behind us, if we all commit to following the coronavirus regulations, maybe we’ll make it until Thanksgiving.