We don’t all love Oktoberfest

The fact that a majority of your latest issue was dedicated to Oktoberfest made me a little sick. Call me a Scrooge, but I hate Oktoberfest. While I did enjoy reading Caleb Brown's opinion on the matter, I think your issue could have used more anti-Oktoberfest articles to even it out.

I have to say, that no matter how many people try to tell me that the holiday has a historical backround, I'm just not convinced. Oktoberfest is not a time for us to celebrate whatever it is that some people say we're celebrating. It is a time for the students of UW-L to participate in sick amounts of underage drinking and trash the city along with the reputation of the school.  Walk down any street in La Crosse during these two fine weekends and you'll see people falling over, houses with trash covered lawns, fighting couples and drunks who were left by friends to wander the streets on their own.  I try not to be hypocritical about the situation, because I remember that as a freshman I walked around with friends and laughed at all the drunks. However, it results in more problems than entertainment for those of us who don't participate.

I don't want to be woken up at three in the morning when everyone who is returning to their rooms feel the need to stand in the hallway and talk as loud as possible. I don't want to have to skip dinner because the sub shop line is out the door. I don't want to feel unsafe on the road because cars are speeding past with passengers hanging out of the windows. It also serves as a big pain in the butt for law enforcement in the city of La Crosse.

It is also the time of year that most individuals in UW-L Residence Life despise the most. Imagine how frustrating it is to be a leader in your residence hall community, either paid or voluntary, and to have to clean up and cover up multiple piles of vomit and urine because someone had too much to drink. While I recognize that some individuals take pride in this event and truly believe it holds historical value, I have to say that a similiar appreciation of culture is not found amongst a majority of the UW-L community. If we're not going to trash this pointless celebration and instead let it trash us, the very least the city of La Crosse could do is thank law enforcement, security, clean-up and Residence Life individuals who have year after year cleaned up the mess that the city has left for them.