2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: News
Hey Day is back, but seniors beware
Officials: Repeats of last year's hazing may bring repercussions
Rebecca Kaplan
Hey Day is here to stay - at least for this year.
In an e-mail to the junior and senior classes last night, the Hey Day working group announced that, despite talks of canceling the 91-year-old Penn tradition, Hey Day will indeed take place this year on April 20.
The working group - which includes representatives from the junior and senior class boards, the Undergraduate Assembly, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life, the President's office, the Provost's office and the Division of Public Safety - has spent the last year trying to determine the future of Hey Day.
Last spring, administrative officials threatened to alter, or even cancel, the event after they said the seniors' hazing of the juniors got out of hand.
Since then, the working group has held community meetings and has surveyed students to gauge the University's general expectations for the future of the event.
And, ultimately, this year's Hey Day will most likely be quite similar to those held in past years.
The letter states that there will be "no changes to the class picnic on Hill Field, the campus procession route or to the Presidential address at College Hall."
It also calls for the implementation of a "Hey Day Traditions" marketing campaign - the details of which have yet to been disclosed - and a pledge of responsibility that seniors will be required to sign in order to attend the event.
That pledge "will be written in a way that clearly indicates hazing is not an acceptable behavior or a component of the long-standing Hey Day tradition at Penn," according to the letter.
"This is a very tangible way for students to demonstrate that they can act responsibly," said Wharton senior and class president Andrew Kaplan.
And such a demonstration will, indeed, be necessary.
The letter warns that if student behavior does not improve, there will be consequences, like moving Hey Day to the following fall - when the class is beginning its senior year - along with "punitive alterations to the Class of 2007's Senior Week in May."
In an e-mail to the junior and senior classes last night, the Hey Day working group announced that, despite talks of canceling the 91-year-old Penn tradition, Hey Day will indeed take place this year on April 20.
The working group - which includes representatives from the junior and senior class boards, the Undergraduate Assembly, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life, the President's office, the Provost's office and the Division of Public Safety - has spent the last year trying to determine the future of Hey Day.
Last spring, administrative officials threatened to alter, or even cancel, the event after they said the seniors' hazing of the juniors got out of hand.
Since then, the working group has held community meetings and has surveyed students to gauge the University's general expectations for the future of the event.
And, ultimately, this year's Hey Day will most likely be quite similar to those held in past years.
The letter states that there will be "no changes to the class picnic on Hill Field, the campus procession route or to the Presidential address at College Hall."
It also calls for the implementation of a "Hey Day Traditions" marketing campaign - the details of which have yet to been disclosed - and a pledge of responsibility that seniors will be required to sign in order to attend the event.
That pledge "will be written in a way that clearly indicates hazing is not an acceptable behavior or a component of the long-standing Hey Day tradition at Penn," according to the letter.
"This is a very tangible way for students to demonstrate that they can act responsibly," said Wharton senior and class president Andrew Kaplan.
And such a demonstration will, indeed, be necessary.
The letter warns that if student behavior does not improve, there will be consequences, like moving Hey Day to the following fall - when the class is beginning its senior year - along with "punitive alterations to the Class of 2007's Senior Week in May."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
senior
posted 2/21/07 @ 1:14 PM EST
Maybe the specifics of this resolution will make things more clear, but as of now I am not so sure that the changes to Hey Day are such a "terrific resolution. (Continued…)
Penn Alum '06
posted 2/21/07 @ 7:38 PM EST
They make threats every year, and it doesn't amount to anything. Its in an open area, they can't control people on locust walk, and they aren't going to arrest 400+ seniors. (Continued…)
Disgusted Alum
posted 2/21/07 @ 8:34 PM EST
Just a question - why must you throw food at all? It's a disgusting activity that is certainly not a tradition by any measure. A few years ago some seniors started ruining Hey Day by adding this filth and now people think it's a fun Penn tradition. (Continued…)
penn97
posted 2/22/07 @ 12:51 AM EST
I'm with Disgusted Alum. I just do not understand why throwing food has become part of this tradition. The partying, the drinking, the eating of hats was all plenty of fun without getting into which foods are safest to throw. (Continued…)
Post a Comment