Editorial: On Send-Off

April 25, 2013 By in Commentary Tags: , , , 164 Comments
What Send-Off probably should look like (via Mark Coltman '87)

What Send-Off probably should look like (via Mike Coltman ’87)

Editors’ Note: Because the tenor of the comments section for this post has turned vulgar and hostile, forcing us to moderate a number of them, we have closed comments on this post for the time being.

Today the student body of Kenyon College was informed via an e-mail from Tacci Smith that this Saturday, normally known as day 2 of Summer Sendoff, that no Kenyon students would be allowed to register any events on the South Quad. The e-mail from Tacci seems to be an effort on behalf of the College to quickly and quietly bring an end to Summer Sendoff.

Kenyon has already made drastic changes to its famed Summer Sendoff party. Prior to last year, Sendoff had been an all-day party occurring on Saturday. In the interest of student safety and compliance with various Ohio liquor laws, last year Sendoff was broken up over the course of 2 days: 4-7PM on Friday, and then a central event on Saturday sponsored by the college with individual parties registered and going on around the central event.

It would appear that the administration has worked to keep this Saturday concert under wraps for as long as possible.  If this truly was a regular action of campus programming, wouldn’t groups on campus work to promote the event? Why were we only informed about this today, just a day and a half prior to the event?

It is a questionable decision not only for the organization hosting the event, but for Kenyon as well – they announced a 4 hour party that takes place on the second day of Sendoff and precludes any other events from taking place on South Quad just 2 days before the event was to take place. The student body was neither consulted nor properly informed of this decision.

Given that the college has claimed to prioritize student safety (as evidenced by the prior changes made to Sendoff), this decision makes even less sense. The college is actively forcing students indoors, which is generally accepted to be a drinking environment that is less safe than outside, in public, and under the supervision of the College. Why was this not ever discussed with the student body?

This also runs the risk of having Saturday become rather chaotic, to say the least. The college has suddenly and unexpectedly made drastic changes to how Saturday’s schedule functions. There will be outdoor parties going on in a variety of new locations, in addition to the party being thrown on South Quad. How will Campus Safety handle this? There are now going to be 10-12 moderately sized Sendoff parties occurring simultaneously South, not to mention all of the students who live North who will now most likely be partying there instead.

164 responses

  2. This is a pleasantly measured response to a piece of bad news. Well done. I am sure that Kenyon students will find a way to enjoy this Saturday. We are a driven bunch when it comes to enjoying the weekend that used to be send off. It seems that the college forgets to take this into account every year. Nothing has changed except the location. It’s a shame this year we won’t be on south quad like we have been for as long as anyone can remember.

    • Someone isn’t reading her email very closely. There’s still a party on south quad Saturday. It’s still a big outdoor party. With bands. Sounds like old Sendoff to me. Anyone can go, as far as I can tell.

      • I resent that you automatically assumed the writer of the above comment identified as a woman when you wrote “someone isn’t reading *her* email very closely” (asterisks added for emphasis). The is no reason why a man could no have written the comment.

      • You have to love knee-jerk reactions like the one above.
        “IT’S SEXIST!!1!”
        No. The original email was sent by Tacci Smith, who is a woman.

      • I was under the impression that the use of ‘her’ was was directed to the above commenter (Anonymous 2:11pm). There is no reason why ‘her’ would mean Tacci, as Tacci was never mentioned in any of the comments. I would also note that in saying “reading her e-mail”, the commenter would be referring to the person above misreading the email from Tacci (as in when 2:11 wrote “It’s a shame this year we won’t be on south quad like we have been for as long as anyone can remember”–the e-mail clearly said South Quad would still be in use).

        (Also, I never claimed to be a feminist, thank you very much.)

    • I don’t want to be associated with people who call themselves feminists these days, so I no longer identify as one. “Feminism” has been drastically altered. I could write a huge response on this and my views, but this isn’t the proper place for that (and I don’t have enough time, anyway).

      And can you please not automatically assume that I identify as a women? Thank you.

  4. Everybody is freaking out over nothing. The party on South Quad (which EVERYBODY can go to) takes up a lot of space, so it makes sense that you can’t register table games and whatnot. You can still drink and register stuff behind Old K, plus EVERY other place on campus. Chiiiiiiiillllllll

  6. For the millionth time, almost every person working in “the administration” does want Kenyon students to have a good time. They don’t sit around conference tables wondering how they can quietly kill Sendoff. And I imagine they have to put up with a lot of cranky students who get angry over little changes (see: the Orange Fence Wars of 2011). Kenyon students don’t have some kind of God-given right to this campus-wide party that, if folks threw the way they think Sendoff “should be,” would be illegal. Especially if Kenyon students can’t keep it together by 1) not ending up in the hospital and 2) cleaning up after themselves (ever seen South Quad afterward? Maintenance staff, not students, cleaning up all the beer cans and trash the day after).

    Seriously, be more thoughtful when you write about “the administration.” Who specifically are you talking about? Who is “they”?

    • I believe the true issue here is the lack of transparency; with registration rules firmly in place, this last minute disclosure certainly comes off as more than a little contrived, whether or not that was the intent. As far as who “they” are, without the kind of long-term information that would serve to make this action legitimate, it is difficult to come by information regarding who exactly is responsible. The organization hosting the party seems as much at a loss as anyone else, and to blame Tacci Smith (who sent the original email, and the only concrete name associated with this so far) would be just as irresponsible, if not more so, as referring to the collective unit in charge of this decision.

      • Of all the things to spark a good ol’ whine about “the administration’s” lack of transparency, changes to Sendoff might actually be the dumbest. For heaven’s sake, get mad about outsourcing, get mad about the financial aid budget, get mad about unsustainable building projects! Don’t get mad because our favorite big drunk party undergoes some changes every couple of years. The way people are responding to this you’d think that the college decided to demolish Old Kenyon or something. Take a deep breath, grab a beer, and calm yourself down.

      • Are you honestly surprised? Send off is a more immediate issue than outsourcing, financial aid, etc. I enjoy your self-righteousness. It’s refreshing. Shall we shotgun together?

      • Coleen (I assume you are with the administration), It does appear that the administration is trying to ruin people’s fun at Kenyon. By drastically cutting back the biggest party of the year, that’s exactly what they are doing. And doing in the most sneaky way possible just adds to the stink. Maybe if you guys would just let us live off campus you wouldn’t have to deal with this? TIme to end the paternalistic bullshit

      • Actually, I’m a senior, with fond memories of Sendoffs past. (Would someone in “the administration” really comment on the Thrill? Lol.) I’m going to have a great time tomorrow and Saturday. I just think that people should be more specific when they talk about “the administration” because that’s a big group of people doing a lot of different jobs. Most of them really like us and want us to have fun. I’m confused, honestly, as to why so many students get up in arms about Sendoff changing (and don’t get up in arms about bigger problems–no apologies for perceived self-righteousness)…it’s not some kind of right that can never ever be taken away from us. Everyone can still get shitfaced this weekend, or any weekend. Maybe it’s a time-honored tradition, but traditions change.

    • THANK GAWD. SPECIAL DAWGS BRING ME BACK 2 THA GOOD OL DAYS. Everyone should be giving them a round of applause…

  9. Many people have made some valid points on here about the fact that South Quad is still going to be available, among other things. However, I’d like to try and clarify some of the reasons people are upset.

    For starters, it is unfair to the sororities of Kenyon. The e-mail from Tacci states that lodges are among the limited spaces that will be able to be registered on Saturday. Every fraternity on campus has a lodge, and not a single sorority does. This is not uncommon, but given the fact that lodges can be registered it isn’t really fair.

    There is also the community aspect of it. Much of the fun of Sendoff is having everybody hanging out in one place together, enjoying Kenyon life. Is South Quad still open? Absolutely. Will far fewer people be there? Without a doubt. Everybody normally brings their own alcohol to Sendoff, and while the specifications haven’t been noted, it’s unlikely that the brothers of Delta Phi are going to have enough alcohol to satisfy the needs of the Kenyon campus for an entire afternoon. The party policy states that the maximum number of kegs at any given event is 5, and the odds that they’ll have even that many are slim, and even if they did anybody who has been to Sendoff will tell you that would not be remotely close to enough. This will also all serve as a disincentive for people who live North to come South, and for people who live South to spend more than a small portion of their time on the quad. All of this will make for a less community centered experience.

    Also, a series of student bands playing on the South Quad is not on par with performances in the past, though it is only a small step down from Grouplove.

    What the school has done in this situation was not a particularly horrendous thing, but it is understandable that people are upset about changes to longstanding Kenyon traditions. It’s not paving over Middle Path, but for many people Sendoff is an important part of the Kenyon experience, and the fact that changes were made so suddenly and without consulting the student body doesn’t really seem fair. It would be helpful to know more about how and why these decisions were made, and why we were only just informed of them today.

    • Yea I completely agree with this. I’m certainly not freaking out that I’m not going to be able to drink or have fun this weekend and I dont think anybody is, but I am a little upset because I was looking forward to more than just drinking a little more this weekend than others. The year is almost over, seniors are almost gone and it would be nice to have a huge gathering of students out on the quad all day enjoying the weather and each other. Also, after all this “brophobia” and the supposed divide between north and south I would think campus would want as much of an all campus gathering as possible instead of “small outside gatherings” spread around campus. There may be some valid reasons for changing what seems to me to be a great Kenyon tradition, but those in the Administration that saw fit to make this change did not present us with those reasons or let us discuss solutions or alternatives with them.

  10. FULL DISCLOSURE: Spencer is a DKE and is evidently butthurt that he can’t set up his own “house-rules” BP table on South Quad. That should’ve been appended at the end of this post.

  11. lol. KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA (SKEWLS ONLY UNDERGROUND SORORITY) WILL BE WRECKING HAVOC—-WE PLAN TO RAGE ON THE FRESHMAN QUAD

  12. honestly we all need to cALM DOWN we have it so good
    special dogs for sendoff
    special dogs for student organization of the year
    special dogs for winter concert
    special dogs are the next walk the moon

  14. LETS CUT TO THA CHASE HERE! THERES SOMETHING UNAMERICAN GOING ON AND I FOR ONE WOULDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A GOOD OLD FASHIONED WITCH HUNT!

  17. A clarifying point: Sendoff was never changed to a 2-day event…the social-board-organized Sendoff was switched to Friday as of last year, and Castaway was an entirely separate event attempting to resurrect the all-day madness of Old Sendoff.

    All complaints about the day switch are well worth voicing (though they’re a year late at this point), but the DPhi party isn’t actually part of Sendoff…it’s a favor being done to all of y’all who wanted an all-day Saturday party. Maybe all you butthurt frateres et sorores should have gotten on the ball early like the DPhi’s did.

    Sincerely and informedly,
    Norton I, who doesn’t have a lodge or division housing but is everywhere at all times, watching you poop

  20. PHILIBUSTER YOUNG COMRADES

    WHERE IS THE PHUN?

    WHAT HAPPENED TO PHLING

    PHUCK ADMIN

    BRING BACK SENDOFF

    BRING BACK PHLING

  23. Anyone who is “for” the new Sendoff is clearly a freshmen. If you had been here before, you would that this Saturday event is NOT Sendoff.

  25. Update: due to excessive whining, only Delta Phi brothers will now be able to attend the Delta Phi event. we will still be using the entire quad.

  27. Isn’t the administration excluding a large portion of the school from “hosting” any gatherings on the ONE weekend that it is supposed to be about the entire community? Frankly, I see this as an attempt to unnecessarily regulate the one weekend we have before we spend the next two weeks in the library. What point is the administrating trying to make here? This is, in my opinion, damaging to the relationship between the student body and the administration, as they insist on treating college students as if we are all in boarding school. For the seniors, is this really the last campus-wide memory the administration wants us to have? Who cares who was given the right to use the quad? That has nothing to do with the issue here.

  28. greeks usually take the brunt of the administration’s shortcomings and inconsistencies on these issues, particularly around the biggest events of the year. students should focus their broader interests in making sendoff as complete as it should be at the people that are making planning and enjoying sendoff harder for everyone. in spite of this, it’s the same party, same day, and we can have a spring riot.

  29. In regards to the above conversation concerning the Kappas: I have never been so disappointed to attend Kenyon College. I am not a Kappa. I am not even a close friend of anyone in the Kappas. I may be just as much distant from it than any of you who posted those comments. But it doesn’t take an insider to see that that was fucked up. Before you comment on this and wreak your own havoc on this post, let it sink in that what you said was completely embarrassing. I would not call it damaging though, no, because although I may not personally know then, I am sure that the Kappas will not be so phased by Anonymous hate.

  30. “guys come on. all of this name calling is immature. kappa sigma alpha IS good for something!!!! hitting and quitting because they’re self-conscious whores :)” — That’s cute, Anonymous. Your slut-shaming will TOTALLY mess with their minds! The Kappas should be ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES!

    … are you fucking kidding me, Anonymous?
    –Another Anonymous, ashamed of you.

  31. if you think this weekend will be the same, you haven’t been here long enough (self-righteous seniors included, bye !!). it’s also a shame that the administration is only vaguely held accountable for one weekend of the year, and not of its other miserable failures and lack of transparency, empathy and dignity. perhaps one of the 70 deans will comment with substance on the issue in the next few years. perhaps in ten years those same insurance agents will be held accountable for the kenyon they changed beyond recognition from the kenyon that they didn’t even know. just let them go already.

  32. y’all some foos. sendoff bouta be sendin off in a couple years (mo $$$ for giant pumpkins) lolll keep complainin and dis one will have mo fences

    peace
    -tash.0

  33. “posers”
    “girls who cry in the corner at parties”
    “ugly clowns”
    “self-conscious whores”
    “SAWARITY REJECTZ THAT ARENT EVEN LIKED BY DA DELTZ”
    “I don’t think there’s a single one I would DFMO with. Unless I was completely trashed. And on drugs. And the room was pitch black. And I couldn’t see her face. And I had terrible eyesight. Then maybe. But still probably not.”

    Kenyon, we’re better than this.

    • I’ll second your disappointment, but I’m not sure I feel willing to invoke the “We’re better than this” line. It kind of forgives the offending parties, letting them know we think that, at heart, they are better than the horrible things they’ve just said about their peers.

      With a few exceptions, we are no better than our words and actions. In this case, these statements weren’t made in the heat of an emotional event or its aftermath. This is just bullying. Let’s make sure we view it as such.

      • As a brother of Delta Tau Delta, we did not post these comments and do not wish to be associated with them. We apologize for any confusion.

  34. This comment thread is basically the essence of why I am 100% done with this place. Yeah, there are some great people here. But there’s an overpopulation of nasty, alcoholic, entitled bitches.

    If you don’t like something, respond to it like a grown-up, and then maybe the admins will stop putting you in orange play pens.

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  38. Kappa Kappa Gamma is SJW’s fake sorority. Theyre not talking about the Kappas that are new on campus this year….!

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