I am not so much responding to Trey's comments ("Tradition never graduates," Feb. 9) as I am agreeing with them. In terms of society, Notre Dame separates itself from other schools from the start by having things like parietals and no frats or sororities. In our history, we have more than made up for it with dorm life rivaled by no one else. Is it even a question why so few students move off campus?
With that dorm life has come some great dorm traditions. Both of my parents went here, and so for most of my life, I have gotten to listen to them talk about their times here. Now that I am a student I hear even more. Sometimes I go to dinner with my parents and their friends from school and I can tell you this: When they go down memory lane they are not talking about studying for tests and going to mass every Sunday. They tell stories involving alcohol (just a little), about going on panty raids to Saint Mary's, amazing dorm events and sneaking their cars on campus past the security guards. It's these traditions that keep our alumni so tight.
I don't think the administration realizes how good they have it with this student body. In terms of immaturity and rowdiness we are nothing compared to the students at schools like Michigan, Penn State and USC, whose weekends start on Wednesday nights. We are a different type of student body.
That is why we chose to go here. We study, worship, and do service work, but we want to have fun with that as well. I am not a big partier, but I certainly understand that overstressed young adults need to let go on the weekends and just have fun. Personally, when I get older, I want to be able to tell my kids about all the fun I had at school similar to what my father has told me. It certainly feels like the administration is doing all they can to eliminate that. They need to take a lesson from history and Prohibition. If you try to take away our means of having fun, we will just find somewhere else to do it, and I'm sure the administration would love more off-campus parties.
Matthew McManus
sophomore
Fisher Hall
Feb. 10
