Dear Daily Collegian,

I write this as someone who is in no way involved in electronic dance music culture or even likes to consider it music. I am constantly annoyed by the drunken buffoons who invade the bus at night after attending EDM concerts, and the idiocy of such people is a common topic in my conversations. However, I am tired of the University’s approach to the “Molly issue” and partying in general. We cannot stand by idly as they treat us like children and abuse their executive authority.

I remember last spring, we all received an email instructing us on how to behave as the weather warmed up, and even our parents were notified. This was outrageous. If I had taken a different path, I could be fighting in the Army, but instead I was at a university that saw its students as kids who needed to be kept out of trouble to protect its own image.

While that email was annoying, it did not do damage like the cancellation of concerts that many students looked forward to. The first cancellation had the potential to be effective – it certainly got the conversation going, but the administration has crossed the line by canceling the rest. The only effect that will result from this action is that it appeared like the right thing to do. Many may think that the administration cares about academics, but that is incorrect. All that matters are ratings and appearance. If they actually cared about the Molly issue they could read academic research and see that trying to make drugs inaccessible is never a reality.

The fact of the matter is that drugs have been around for a long time, and so have bad batches of drugs. Drug use fades in and out of culture and, depending on the drug, it takes some lives. It is a sad reality but it happens, people see and talk about it and the culture changes. We already had Fantazia canceled and the campus was ignited with conversation about the Molly epidemic. That conversation allowed more people to be informed and may have steered away potential users. Ultimately though, it is not going to steer everyone away, and we have to accept that.

The majority of those going to attend these concerts likely were not going to be users of the drug, and it is wrong for the majority to suffer for the few that may still use the drug. In addition, we pay the bills here. Our voice is important and we should not stand down when something is not right. We have to take a stance against this administration before it gets further out of hand. This school should work like a democracy since students are central to the institution, instead of relying on a select few to make decisions. We do not vote for our administration but they need to know that we are here and have a voice. Whether it is protests or an abundance of emails, we must be heard.

Daniel Diefenbach

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Dear Daily Collegian,

I will make this short and sweet because I don’t want to take up too much column space. I think the Daily Collegian should take a serious look at changing to a weekly paper (or at least Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and drastically cut down on how many papers you print and circulate. Each time I stay late on campus I see stacks upon stacks of unread daily papers in the newspaper racks. This is a complete waste of paper, ink and resources.  You may not be able to claim that you are “the largest daily college newspaper in New England and one of the largest in the country” if you move to a weekly publication and cut down on printing, but you will save money, readership may increase and you will be saving a whole lot of trees!

Thanks for printing this.

Best,

Ezra Small
Campus Sustainability Manager