Fountain Party Resurrected

Dear CMC Students,

Last night, I sent an email clarifying that the Senior Thesis Fountain Party was NOT canceled, but that we were reviewing ways to make it less intrusive to the rest of the College. Later in this email, I am going to announce that the Senior Thesis Party can continue. However, here are some important points.

First let me say that I was the one who asked Dean Nauls to speak with the Senior Class President about ways to mitigate the intrusive aspects of the party. It was not Dean Spellman, nor Dean Nauls, nor anyone else. It was me, and I take full responsibility for it. Some of the vitriol that has been aimed at others was misdirected.

The reason I asked Dean Nauls to address this is because this event has not been without significant harm to a few individuals, and this has escalated in the last few semesters. In particular, students carrying laptops have been completely soaked, and they have lost everything on their laptop. Think about that for a moment; how would you explain to a student that the College condones this? And although it is less severe in nature, some faculty members have also said that it is difficult to continue teaching classes because of loud music. As an educational institution, we have to be concerned about this.

So I wanted Dean Nauls to speak with William Robelo-Lara about the event. It seemed appropriate for the Assistant Dean & Director of Student Activities to discuss this with the Senior Class President. Then a lot of misinformation about what happened began circulating in social networking sites.This morning I met with William, Senior Class Gift Chair Kyle Block, and some members of the Dean of Students Office. We have agreed to let the Senior Thesis Fountain Party continue, in its old location, but simply want those participating to be respectful of others and noise issues. My concerns about this ought to be clear, and I am calling upon those who will be celebrating the end of Senior Thesis to be mindful of this. Have fun, celebrate, and please be respectful of others. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Now with regard to issue of student traditions, I hear you. Although the TNC’s were never “canceled”, it feels like we have tinkered with many social traditions lately. The issue of TNC’s had to do with the safety of the events, and we now have a plan for those concerns. As a show of good faith that I am not against traditions, I personally will toast the Class of 2010 outside of the Registrar’s Office at noon on April 26th. I will also invite a few surprise guests to join me in toasting you.

Sincerely,

Jeff Huang

VP for Student Affairs