This article is for a great person and a good friend who is currently in the hospital recovering from the brutal low-point of a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon.
Waking up early Saturday morning, we were all expecting the worst, with a rainy forecast that had been dogging us for weeks. Fortunately it never developed, and the game was on. An early morning peppered with kegs, eggs and the occasional marathon runner seemed to promise a day of letting off steam and a taste of the summer months waiting patiently on the other side of finals. All of this sounded great on paper, and was surely enjoyable in action, but in the aftermath I’m dogged by the simple questions: who, why, how?
“Who” is the biggest problem I see when looking back at the weekend. It’s the reason Halloween had to change, and it is the real problem with Mifflin weekend. It’s the ever-growing element of out-of-towners who appear to have little or no regard for the incredible opportunity being provided by the city of Madison. Even on their best behavior, they take a big party and push it to unmanageable extremes. On their worst behavior, they bring a violent, careless and belligerent effect the students of this university do not practice or condone. If Mifflin could move forward as a party for Madison by Madison, and not the one day of the year where anyone old enough to drive a car can come and disregard the laws of this state, the negative events of Saturday could be avoided.
“Why” is the hardest question I can think of for Mifflin. Mayor Paul Soglin has a longer and more personal history with this event then probably anyone else. He was the alderman who stood up at the very first Mifflin 42 years ago and was arrested in defense of the students’ rights to gather. Yet in the wake of Saturday’s events he is only “interested in ending the thing,” saying, “The city has no business sponsoring an event where the primary activity is drinking.”
While I think it’s easy to say the mayor is being a bit reactionary, he does make a good point. The primary activity is definitely drinking, but is it really the answer to why we do it? I don’t think so. We do it because it is unlike any other event I know of – an incredible display of the peoples’ right to gather together in the place they live and throw a party. And while that may sound simple and arbitrary, it matters; in fact, few things are more American than that. So that brings us to the last question of “how?”
How does Mifflin move forward where everyone is guaranteed not just a damn good time, but also their personal safety, the safety of their property and the safety of this city’s reputation?
First of all, the open container idea was a flop. It made the streets themselves too dangerous and definitely increased the collective level of drunkenness. I think in years past, having that mental barrier of the street kept people more conscious of their actions, and the more active threat of police interference deterred violence. From there, the questions will evolve into what else needs to be limited. I think preventing carry-ins of any kind and limiting the number of kegs per household could be potentially beneficial. If there was an effective way to check IDs, I would be all for it, and maybe go so far as to say if you don’t have a WisCard, you can’t come in. I won’t lie – the “how” is also not an easy question, but I think it is important to at least create an official position that this is supposed to be a campus block party for the students of the University of Wisconsin to let off some steam before finals. It can’t continue to be the Midwest Mecca of unregulated drinking for all.
I love Mifflin. I’ve had three completely awesome and generally unforgettable years at the block party that everyone at this school deserves to experience. But I think we need to take it back for ourselves, make it less a day for 15 of our friends to sleep on our floors and more a day for us: the students of Madison. Lets find a way to guarantee we all still have the Mifflin experience, but without anyone having to worry about his or her safety. One of the best people we have on this campus had to go through the worst on Saturday, and that can’t happen. But I believe a better Mifflin can.
John Wakters ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
