Just days after university officials announced a plan to eliminate "senior week," some students said they're disappointed with the plan and don't think it will have any effect on seniors' celebrations.
In his report to the Board of Trustees at Friday's meeting, Penn State President Graham Spanier said the graduation dates for spring 2012 may be moved up to the week immediately following finals to avoid a week of seniors staying on campus with nothing productive to do except frequent bars.
University Park Undergraduate Association President Christian Ragland said the announcement caught him off guard. Senior week is a tradition, he said -- and the administration should respect the longstanding ritual.
Though Ragland (senior-political science) is an advocate of responsible drinking, the week is a reward for many seniors after four years of hard work, he said.
Not all students use the week as an opportunity to drink, he said, pointing to those who use it as a chance to prolong their farewell to Penn State.
Other students agreed that a date change will not put a stop to seniors' celebrations.
"It's like trying to stop a flood with a pebble," said Matt Poth (junior-education and history). "Kids are going to do it whether they say they can or not."
At the meeting, Spanier said dangerous drinking was a key reason for the change, but later said there were several other reasons to change the date -- like allowing more faculty to attend the ceremonies and allowing more students to enter the job market earlier.
Students will also save on housing and food costs for the additional week and the Office of Physical Plant can get a head start on its summer maintenance projects, he said.
While he understands the alcohol-related dangers of the event, Ragland pointed out that the week is also the final opportunity for graduates to hang out with friends and celebrate the hard work they put into their college years.
"Senior week is a tradition," Ragland said. "That's what students look forward to."
It would have been ideal to move up the graduation date for the spring 2011 commencement ceremonies, Spanier said -- but many parents have already reserved hotel rooms for the predetermined dates.
Spanier said he doesn't expect students to react strongly to the announcement. He said students who want an extra week in State College can just stay after graduation.
Ragland said this is an issue he will definitely want to talk to administrators about, and he thinks other students will talk about the proposal as well.
Downtown bars and the Pennsylvania Tavern Association president did not return calls for comment by press time Sunday.
