Halloween is defined by children in the United States as the one day each year that they can dress up as something other than themselves, go door-to-door and receive candy for free, and then proceed to hoard and consume the candy that they have earned. If that same definition were applied to Madison, one would assume that every day is Halloween.
That shy, quiet girl in Chem lab will most likely appear and act a little differently when she's out on the weekend. Candy in Madison can be found door-to-door at parties or bars and will also be hoarded and consumed. Madison is the No. 1 party school for a reason, there is no need for a holiday to celebrate, but somehow there are many misconceptions about this school that the entire nation has chosen to believe.
Recently, Madison's biggest claim to fame has been the number of students that have been sent to detox. According to Chief of Police Susan Riseling, as of last Monday the UW has sent 30 students to detox. During a press conference, Riseling announced, "We lead the pack. We lead the country."
It would be interesting to find the source of these statistics, as Riseling failed to cite any documentation. The UW has an extremely large enrollment, more than most schools in the country. It's disappointing to have a police department that criticizes the entire school and promotes a negative connotation because of 30 students. Thirty out of over 41,000 enrolled at UW-Madison who were too drunk to know where their friends or their home is equal almost nothing. Most students have been taught that when a friend is in trouble, they should not question the amount of trouble that their friend will get in if they call detox, because getting in trouble for being too drunk is better than being dead.
It is also ironic that the UW's status as the No. 1 party school got so much attention but the UW being No. 34 in the country according to US News received little attention. The county and even UW administration failed to congratulate students on semester after semester of hard work. UW-Madison is right up there with the Ivy League in terms of academics, but is certainly a better experience overall.
Other recent criticism has been on UW students' behavior at football games. Yes, many students wake up at 8 a.m. to begin their Super Saturdays, just as students do at every other school in the Big Ten Conference. Football games are fun, and every school wants their team to win. Sitting in the student section, spectators should expect drunken people who are riled up for the game and are willing to argue every single play, regardless of whether the referees and opposing school listen. It is not a drunken fest; in reality the game is the point on Super Saturday where students sober up to prepare for the night ahead. It is not absurd; it is college.
The party on Halloween is a different story. The majority of UW students actually dislike the holiday. There are just too many people. It's annoying having to wait in line to go to their parties and their bars and have the cops all over them. Most UW students are not destructive to their campus while they are drunk. They do not start fires, throw things into windows, or start riots. Tear gas and pepper spray are not regular phenomena, but with ridiculous crowds — last year's number was about 75,000 — these situations have to be expected.
When people break the law, they get into trouble, and 500 people found this out the hard way last Halloween. As obnoxious as these numbers sound, they were not broken down into the actual number of UW students participating in the rioting and destruction, which was probably minimal.
So if you want to see an accurate depiction of UW-Madison life, please consider all aspects and come visit this beautiful campus on any weekend other than Halloween. The class buildings will reveal the hard work, the campus itself will reveal its beauty and diversity, and State Street will reveal the variety of student life. But don't even bother coming if you're not expecting to have a little fun, because this school is about finding a medium for all aspects of life.
Joelle Parks ([email protected]) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
