2008 Woodie Awards
Point-Counterpoint
Oktoberfest: Are We Missing the Point?
Anna Schmidt
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
More to do than binge
When this paper is released, the first weekend of Oktoberfest has already come and gone. The weekend was full of festivities: the parade, the Festmaster's ball and the opening of the festival grounds, oh and I forgot the most commonly attended event, a binge drinking party.
On this campus, Oktoberfest has nothing to do with celebrating the German culture or having a city festival, but is that not the point? I am not telling you to not have a party and drink or lecture you on the negative side effects of binge drinking, but why do the two weekends of Oktoberfest have to be filled with underage drinking, binge drinking, and ultimately stupid decisions? Why can't we, the students of UW-L, take a stand and say that this is not what we are all about.
For all you who feel lost during these two weekends, do not fear. You may not know this, but drinking is not mandatory and you are not graded on how well you party. This campus offers so many things to do on the weekends that don't involve getting trashed and waking up in some random house not remembering the night before. Drinking is not all that college is about, and I dare you to take advantage of the non-alcoholic events offered during the weekend.
I don't want to hear about any tragedies this year, so if you are planning on drinking this Oktoberfest weekend, please be smart. Safety should always come first. Make good decisions and realize that a fun Saturday night can consist of a movie at the Riv and ice cream at The Pearl. Binge drinking is not mandatory and be particulary careful during this last weekend of the Fest. Stay safe. Be smart. Have fun.
When this paper is released, the first weekend of Oktoberfest has already come and gone. The weekend was full of festivities: the parade, the Festmaster's ball and the opening of the festival grounds, oh and I forgot the most commonly attended event, a binge drinking party.
On this campus, Oktoberfest has nothing to do with celebrating the German culture or having a city festival, but is that not the point? I am not telling you to not have a party and drink or lecture you on the negative side effects of binge drinking, but why do the two weekends of Oktoberfest have to be filled with underage drinking, binge drinking, and ultimately stupid decisions? Why can't we, the students of UW-L, take a stand and say that this is not what we are all about.
For all you who feel lost during these two weekends, do not fear. You may not know this, but drinking is not mandatory and you are not graded on how well you party. This campus offers so many things to do on the weekends that don't involve getting trashed and waking up in some random house not remembering the night before. Drinking is not all that college is about, and I dare you to take advantage of the non-alcoholic events offered during the weekend.
I don't want to hear about any tragedies this year, so if you are planning on drinking this Oktoberfest weekend, please be smart. Safety should always come first. Make good decisions and realize that a fun Saturday night can consist of a movie at the Riv and ice cream at The Pearl. Binge drinking is not mandatory and be particulary careful during this last weekend of the Fest. Stay safe. Be smart. Have fun.
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