COLUMN: A not-so-bitter end to Fling

From Karen Pasternack's, "Effective Immediately," Fall '98 From Karen Pasternack's, "Effective Immediately," Fall '98Spring Fling '98. For the fourth and final time, I will encounter the blissful craziness that, for one weekend each year, lifts Penn's party atmosphere to the level of a state school rather than that of an Ivy. And yet every year I'm annoyed when the 2 a.m. curfew comes around and police break up the comfortable crowd, sending people off in separate directions in a premature end to the one weekend of the year when all students join together for common festivities in common space. It is easy to forget that while we party the night away, other West Philadelphia residents are trying to continue their usual lives. Likewise, we lose sight of the fact that the police are there not to prevent us from having fun, but to protect us from the potential hazards of the weekend. Which brings us to this year's late-night Fling experiment: the first Spring Fling Pancake Breakfast. The breakfast is a product of a committee formed to promote positive relations between students and University Police. Fling, of course, presents is own particular problems in this arena. I worked with Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush and other administrators and faculty on the committee to brainstorm a way we could end Fling weekend on a note of solidarity, rather than complete disgust with each other's behavior. The solution owes its inspiration to the increasingly popular post-prom breakfast, typically organized by high school administrators, parents and the community as a way to keep students entertained and safe in the early hours of the morning following prom. Similarly, a post-Fling breakfast will allow our celebration to continue on past 2 a.m., while complying with University-sanctioned rules and allowing members of the West Philadelphia community to sleep. The breakfast will also enable University Police to play a role other than the traditionally resented force responsible for declaring an official end to Fling. And administrators will have an opportunity to participate in the late night festivities, rather than merely reading about them afterward in The Daily Pennsylvanian. So this year, the first free Spring Fling Pancake Breakfast will take place -- rain or shine -- equipped with pancakes, exotic toppings and lots of coffee. It begins at 1:30 a.m. outside of Chats. I hope this free solution to a crowded post-Fling Wawa will bring the University community together; that in this way, the administration and Penn police will seem less threatening to students; and that conversely, some administrators and police will see that Fling is about more than a bunch of drunk slobbering people. Earlier in the semester, I wrote a column entitled "In support of moderation," in which I argued that Penn should modify its drinking age. Well, this breakfast may not be the solution to the University's struggle to deal with alcohol issues, but I believe we should be happy to have a new non-alcoholic tradition for Fling. Sure, Fling is a time for relaxation. But every component doesn't need to revolve around alcohol. After all, many students actually want to just hang out with their friends and aren't solely concerned with the amount of liquor they can consume. Perhaps if this breakfast is successful, administrators will realize that they need to think about creating space, not just once a year on the Saturday night of Fling, but a permanent non-alcohol-related place where students from all organizations, affiliations, races and classes can come together in the after hours.