Two is too many

DKS Editors

Chances are, if you’re a Kent State student and Facebook user, you’ve been invited to, or at least seen the event page for “Collegefest Round 2.”

For a long time now, rain or shine, College Avenue has hosted College Fest near the end of April. Last year in 2009, partiers were blessed, so to speak, with beautiful weather — but the night ended in riots, arrests and overall, a bad picture painted of Kent State.

This year, they weren’t so fortunate when it came to weather. Rain fell, but the partying went on. Because last year ended with such problems, police increased their presence and ended the party early, before any major problems.

Still, it seemed like everyone still had a good time. So what’s the point of another one?

It’s entirely possible that many students who plan on attending the second College Fest celebration are just trying to have a good time before heading home for the summer. But we can’t help but think there’s a few out there who are disappointed their block party didn’t garner national attention this year and want to try again.

For those who haven’t been at Kent State long enough to realize it, 2009’s College Fest was the exception — not the norm. And we certainly hope it stays that way: a block party where students drink, but don’t get out of hand. Riots and discord every year between the students, city and police because of a block party is not the kind of reputation you want your university to have.

It’s also important to remember why we are in college in the first place. May 8, the scheduled date of “round two” is the Saturday before finals. By no means are we saying that everyone should spend the whole day studying on Saturday, but spending the entire day drinking is probably not the recommended way to kick off your finals week if you plan on actually getting good grades.

And even if you don’t plan on studying, other people will be — including many of College Avenue’s residents. If “round two” has the turnout predicted on Facebook, there’s no doubt it will disrupt someone’s finals week study session.

In addition, broken glass still lines College Avenue’s sidewalks, reminders of this past weekend. It’s irresponsible on residents’ part to plan another College Fest before they’ve even cleaned up after the first one.

The bottom line is, we should care about our school’s reputation and not host events just to irk the police. Events like College Fest happen in every college community, but once a year is enough. Two is too many.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.