University should minimize Festivus damages
Elon University administrators did their part in muddying up campus when they chose not to provide hoses outside residence halls for students celebrating Festivus Sunday, April 26. Traditionally, students who participate in Festivus leave trails of muddy footprints and ruined clothing behind them as they trek home to shower and recover from the festivities. This year, lacking hoses — and perhaps sobriety — with which to clean off, these students undoubtedly created a mess for Physical Plant staff, who don’t deserve such treatment. The mud students tracked across campus and into their dorms had to end up somewhere. Robert Buchholz, associate vice president for facilities management and director of Physical Plant, said some of it ended up plastered on buildings. The university hasn’t always deprived students of the tools necessary for cleaning off. MarQuita Barker, associate director of residence life for operations and information management, said the university has provided hoses for students to use after the event for the past few years. But this year, administrators decided against it because Festivus is not a university-sponsored event, and they didn’t want to “enable students.” According to Barker, the goal of not enabling students with hoses was to stop the growth of Festivus as a campus tradition.
