Jasmine Bautista | Contributing Writer
Waking up with pots and pans banging against the dorm hall doors is a Buena Vista University (BVU) tradition that has been going on for 102 years. What about the tradition on the eve of Buenafication Day?
Students understand the importance of the day: BVU community serves all day, not worrying about classes. Yet the day before is when students have their fun. It starts as early in the afternoon and goes on until the early morning hours. Students drink and enjoy their day since no classes are scheduled. They are grilling out, drinking with friends, and waiting for the late night bus that safely drives them to Malarky’s.
The eve is celebrated by many and is looked at as a break from stressful nights and frustrating homework. Although it is a yearly night that students look forward to, are they taking advantage of the actual meaning? Are they misrepresenting the significance of the next day?
Maybe it is already an expectation that is merely being met. The drinking may happen all day and night before, but does it affect the students serving?
Kayla Lohse, a junior, sees first hand as a Resident Assistant what happens on the Eve.
“On Buenafication Eve, there are many activities that students can get involved in. Some of them are great choices, like Midnight Movies and BuenaBreakfast, and then others are not such wise decisions like drinking. Drinking is fine in moderation, but that’s not typically how it’s seen on Buenafication Eve,” Lohse said. “Because it’s not typically in moderation on that day, it sometimes becomes a problem for Buenafication Day. With the next day being full of service projects, it probably isn’t the best idea to be hungover when you go out into the community. It gives a bad image to the university, and that’s not what Buenafication Day is supposed to be centered around.”
Having believed that it is a bad representation of the university on the Buenafication Day, it shows that others are aware of the drinking events that take place the night before. Although there are alternative events on and off campus for students to have a safe, good time, they decide on dangerous alternatives.
The students represent the university on this day, as they are among the majority who participate around the community to help serve others. What must people think when hungover students show up to help? What image does it create for BVU?
The Eve should be taken as a day of getting rest and relaxing in preparation of a full day of service. Not to be misused in binge drinking and parties. While it is a time to relax and have great time with friends, it should be done in a safer manner.
