At last Friday’s Hey Day, when Penn President Amy Gutmann looked out onto the crowd of soon-to-be seniors, she witnessed an audience wearing red shirts, styrofoam hats and carrying wooden canes.
But more telling than what Gutmann saw was what she didn’t see: juniors covered in condiments thrown at them by seniors.
For the past few years, hazing has been almost as much a part of the annual tradition as the procession itself. But while many in the class of 2011 may have been disappointed that they made it down Locust Walk without getting messy, the lack of hazing this year will help keep Hey Day alive for future classes.
Out of concern for students’ safety, the University has insisted upon changes to the event and has threatened to cancel it. Fortunately, changes to Hey Day over the past couple of years seem to be keeping people safe.
The final toast is becoming a tradition for seniors, rather than a distraction from hazing. The HeySafe crew was effective at identifying and responding to problems. The more severe repercussions outlined in the Hey Day pledge are deterred students from potentially harmful activities.
Students have been injured during previous Hey Days and we’re glad there were few incidents this year. Similar safety measures should be implemented and further expanded in the future. Preserving a tradition while preserving students’ health is something Penn can toast to.
