The Colby Echo

Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Rob Kievit In Colby tradition, Seniors gathered last spring for Champagne on the Steps

Media Credit: Rob Kievit

Every spring since the early 1990s, seniors have gathered on the steps of Miller Library to drink champagne and to celebrate the end of classes. But what was once a tame group toast has, over the years, evolved into something quite different.

After the event in 2006 ended in flesh wounds, alcohol-induced hospitalizations and arrests, the tradition cherished by many seniors was in serious jeopardy of being retired.

In response to perceived threats of annulment, more than 500 students joined a Facebook.com group called "Save Champagne on the Steps" and some alumni even threatened to withhold annual fund support. But the anticipated gruesome battle with the administration never quite took place. "We didn't say to students, 'you have to do it this way.' We respected the tradition, but [students] needed to come forward with a plan for how they were going to improve it," Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jim Terhune said in a recent interview. And the class of 2007 did just that.

For months, student leaders worked to devise a scheme that would allow Colby to keep the tradition alive, but one that would also mitigate the large-scale problems of 2006. One significant change was the restriction of glass bottles from the event. Another involved stricter enforcement of a fenced off area in which all participating students were confined. Additionally, the senior class allotted just two small cans of champagne to each student, minimizing the amount of alcohol present. There was also a student group that stayed behind to help Physical Plant Department with cleanup. "We still ended up last spring with more accidents then I'd like to see but enough progress was made that the tradition, for now, can continue." Encouraging students to take responsibility has been Terhune's goal when tackling the larger issues of alcohol abuse on campus since his arrival to Colby in 2006. "We can make the rules and we need those rules...but ultimately what will change things is when students take it upon themselves to make those changes."

Still, not all students are so keen about the administration dipping its fingers in student tradition. "Seniors last year were caged up like animals," Adam Salamon '08 said. "I think these changes take away from the spirit of the event." Newly elected senior class representative to the Student Government Association Cassie Jendzejec hopes to communicate such concerns effectively in the future. "Nobody wants a repeat of last year, when a couple months before senior steps we suddenly find out it might not even happen. The SGA is really working toward open communication between the administration and students." So far, she is happy with the way things are going. "Everything that we've wanted to be done, they do everything in their power to do. There are still a lot of kinks but I really feel like everyone is doing a great job about being open and honest which I think is important."

In response to this effort to communicate, the administration has made recent efforts to trust students, testing more liberal drinking policies. When Terhune heard about a motion made last spring by Presidents' Council asking that people who are 21 years or older be permitted to have a drink in a residence hall lounge during a week day, he was impressed. "The students thought me and other administrators would immediately be opposed. But the response was actually exactly the opposite...There are parameters about what would be permissible, but the more we can promote the responsible use of alcohol the better off we are."

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