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ONLINE 06-OCT-00 Cancelling the party, then passing the buck We didn't write the announcement that Tequila Night, the traditional event where Hanszen freshmen get wasted after the first round of Big Three tests, could not happen this year. But if we had, we would have included the following sentences: Tequila Night is illegal, as it involves underage drinking on a widespread and public scale. Tequila Night is dangerous, as competitively drinking hard liquor can have disastrous effects. At the party in 1991, a student went to the hospital with a blood alcohol level of 0.25 in 1991. Last year, a student who had 11 shots in two hours passed out, hit his head and required eight stitches to his forehead. Tequila Night, despite claims that it is a private party, is not private. It is well-known throughout the campus, and it is announced to each Hanszen freshman beforehand when the upperclassmen organizing the party roam the halls with a bottle offering freshmen shots of tequila. The university can no longer ignore the Tequila Night party. Recent events have made it public enough so that action must be taken. Unfortunately, none of these sentences were in the actual letter sent by the Hanszen College masters. We would have mentioned that the university's informing students that a private party could not happen was prompted by the unique nature of the event and was not a general precedent. We would have said we are uncomfortable with the university's decision that students were not responsible enough to handle their own actions, but that we know of no other party that deserves such intervention. We also would have included some mention of how this decision was made - be it by the Hanszen masters, the Office of Student Affairs or the General Counsel's Office. That wasn't in the letter either. This was in the letter: "In response to the article in last year's Thresher and the subsequent discussions, the University has asked the Masters of Hanszen College to inform you that 'Tequila Night' cannot take place any longer in its traditional form and nature." We are appalled that the Thresher is all but blamed for the cancellation of this party. Last year there was an article in the Oct. 15, 1999, issue about a Hanszen freshman being injured at Tequila Night. But the university didn't find out about the party by reading the article. The fact that an intoxicated and injured student had to go to the hospital is a pretty good indicator that there's a party going on. And the party turned out to be no casual social gathering - it was a deliberately organized event with official tally sheets for counting shots and glory for the male and female freshmen who drink the most. Telling every member of Hanszen College that the Thresher took away their party is absurd and untrue. And attributing the decision to "the university" is cowardly. The Rice alcohol policy asks students to be adults - and to take responsibility for their actions. We expect "the university" to do the same. - back - Search the Thresher pages: Enter your search terms: Copyright © 2000 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu