2008 Woodie Awards
Letters
Save the Steps
Chris Hoffman
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Last week's front page article "Fate of Senior Steps remains undetermined" raises some serious concerns to me as a member of the class of 2007, as it should for all Colby students. As Sam Jones '08 wrote in last week's Echo, the current administration's attempt to end the "senior steps," one of this college's only great annual customs, is another illustration of their willing- and readiness to put meaningful student traditions to death.
Although I was studying abroad last spring, and therefore was not present at last year's event, I certainly read the local media's coverage of "the steps". No one will deny that the arrests and the pushing of police and administration members were incredibly unfortunate, and characterize the opposite of what the champagne on the steps ought to be. But it is ridiculous for the College to end the tradition forever due to the actions of a handful of individuals in last year's class.
The mental picture that I have of that event comes from two years ago, when my older brother Noah was among the celebrating seniors, and is very different from the impression left from last year's episode. Noah had specifically asked me to be there to take pictures of and for him. It was, of course, an event of the same level of debauchery as most people believe. Many students were visually drunk, and all had chosen to dress uniquely (including big bro, who chose to wear nothing but a Speedo and a pair of suspenders). It was a chance for the class to be together, to yell, to drink, and to have fun. Upon reflection, I realized the event has a much deeper meaning than its superficial appearance. Before the end of the afternoon Noah, along with several of his best friends, had been brought to tears. It was the first and only time that I have ever seen him cry.
It was then that I realized how important this day was to him, as it was for so many of the Class of 2005 and all the other individuals throughout the history of the Senior Steps. Perhaps only forty percent of each class participates in the event, but for those forty percent, it is the culmination of a four-year career at Colby College, socially and academically. It is a social chance for seniors to gather with their friends and class, and it purposefully and symbolically takes place on the steps of Miller Library, the academic center and aesthetic face of the college.
For Noah, as for all who choose to participate in champagne on the steps, it is a chance to celebrate the end of a four-year era in one's life, to commemorate the late nights studying and late nights with close friends, the hours in class and the orders to WHOP, and most importantly to rejoice at the growth that one has experienced as a result of attending Colby College.
If the administration wants to disallow glass bottles, I'm okay with that. Please, take all the measures possible to ensure that it is a safe event. But do not take away a tradition holds such emotional weight and importance in graduating from this college. I'm certainly not about to let it go without a fight.
Chris Hoffman '07
Although I was studying abroad last spring, and therefore was not present at last year's event, I certainly read the local media's coverage of "the steps". No one will deny that the arrests and the pushing of police and administration members were incredibly unfortunate, and characterize the opposite of what the champagne on the steps ought to be. But it is ridiculous for the College to end the tradition forever due to the actions of a handful of individuals in last year's class.
The mental picture that I have of that event comes from two years ago, when my older brother Noah was among the celebrating seniors, and is very different from the impression left from last year's episode. Noah had specifically asked me to be there to take pictures of and for him. It was, of course, an event of the same level of debauchery as most people believe. Many students were visually drunk, and all had chosen to dress uniquely (including big bro, who chose to wear nothing but a Speedo and a pair of suspenders). It was a chance for the class to be together, to yell, to drink, and to have fun. Upon reflection, I realized the event has a much deeper meaning than its superficial appearance. Before the end of the afternoon Noah, along with several of his best friends, had been brought to tears. It was the first and only time that I have ever seen him cry.
It was then that I realized how important this day was to him, as it was for so many of the Class of 2005 and all the other individuals throughout the history of the Senior Steps. Perhaps only forty percent of each class participates in the event, but for those forty percent, it is the culmination of a four-year career at Colby College, socially and academically. It is a social chance for seniors to gather with their friends and class, and it purposefully and symbolically takes place on the steps of Miller Library, the academic center and aesthetic face of the college.
For Noah, as for all who choose to participate in champagne on the steps, it is a chance to celebrate the end of a four-year era in one's life, to commemorate the late nights studying and late nights with close friends, the hours in class and the orders to WHOP, and most importantly to rejoice at the growth that one has experienced as a result of attending Colby College.
If the administration wants to disallow glass bottles, I'm okay with that. Please, take all the measures possible to ensure that it is a safe event. But do not take away a tradition holds such emotional weight and importance in graduating from this college. I'm certainly not about to let it go without a fight.
Chris Hoffman '07
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