The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Hey Day still sees hazing, but less than recent years

A junior attempts to deflect the condiments and other food items the seniors throw on Hey Day. Despite efforts by both the junior and senior class boards, hazing still occurred, although less than in past years.

This year's Hey Day saw the usual tossing of flour and condiments and shooting of milk-filled super-soakers - but in smaller doses than in past years.

According to College Senior and Class of 2009 President Brett Perlmutter, this slight shift away from hazing - a custom that began in 2002 - is a result of a pledge nearly 1,600 seniors signed promising to go easy on their younger classmates.

In return, seniors participated in the first annual Final Toast on College Green. Perlmutter estimated that nearly 1,700 seniors attended the event, which featured performances by the Mask and Wig Band and music artist Kenn Kweder, a barbecue, complimentary beer, give-away mugs and an appearance by Gutmann, who said she hoped the toast would become a "new tradition." The cost of the event is estimated at just under $30,000.

Meanwhile, juniors made the traditional journey down Locust Walk to College Hall, where University President Amy Gutmann, Perlmutter and Junior Class president Arthur Gardner Smith addressed the crowd.

With so many seniors choosing the party on the Green over the glorified food fight, juniors got off relatively easy.

"On the steps of College Hall, all the talk was that it was the cleanest that the administration had seen in a number of years," Perlmutter said, adding, "It looks like a lot of juniors were throwing flour on themselves."

Smith also attributed much of Hey Day's success to the Final Toast.

"It distracted people from wanting to throw things at the juniors," he said. "We have a relationship where they gave a little, and we can give a little in return."

He explained that because of the large number of seniors who signed the pledge combined with increased outreach to make juniors more confident about the day's festivities, an estimated 90 percent of the junior class participated.

"It was a celebration of achievement," Smith said. "When you immerse yourself in a sea of talented people, you can say to yourself, 'We survived.'"

Perlmutter also explained that the toast was more than just a way to curb the throwing that accompanies with Hey Day.

"We're really hoping that that tradition is maintained, not because of the safety issues but because it's just a great thing to do as a class that celebrates the last days of classes," he said. "It's a first in a series of lasts."

As seniors prepare for graduation and their own walk down Locust Walk to Franklin Field, many were grateful they got this opportunity to spend time with their classmates in the center of campus.

"I knew it was a success because I had a lot of people who told me that it was more fun than they had anticipated," Perlmutter said. "They told me that given the option of throwing ketchup or listening to great music in the sun with their class, they would choose [the latter] any day."

Smith said the junior class will keep up this new tradition next year.

Stopping someone from throwing "the standard mustard, ketchup and spoiled milk" is just a bonus, he said.

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Comments (9)

Penn's spoiled and arrogant undergrads need to grow up and start acting like responsible adults. This event is an embarassment and a disgrace and needs to be discontinued.

Alumni Relations spent close to $30,000 to essentially bribe the senior class to behave, amazing! I wonder if the alumni donors know that is how their money was spent. It took 4 years for this "tradition" to take hold so let's just cancel Hey Day for 4 years and then bring it back. If these kids want a food fight, we can always throw food at the classes of 2002-2009 during the Alumni parade. I bet the same seniors who threw stuff are the same ones who expect Locust Walk to look immaculate for their graduation procession. Do they even wonder who has to clean up thier mess or do they think they are doing their part for the economy by giving cleaning people a job?

This "tradition" did not begin in 2002. I participated in the class of 2002's Hey Deja Vu event and am proud to say there was no tossing of condiments, dead fish, raw eggs, milk, etc. that goes on today. We just sat at the Palladium, enjoyed the weather, drank, and took bad photos. Honestly, we were probably more interested in hanging out with the other seniors than in what the juniors were doing. And since I stuck around Penn for grad school and work I was able to see how distorted the tradition became for the next five years. I think it's sad and embarassing to see what Hey Day has turned into.

You people will complain about everything and anything. Dear alums, I'm sorry Hey Day isn't exactly the same thing as you experienced, but guess what, traditions evolve. Those who were involved had a good time. You had your Hey Day, let us have our's.

[QUOTE id="2784ab05-5f3a-43b6-af91-d3f793e25df3"]You people will complain about everything and anything. Dear alums, I'm sorry Hey Day isn't exactly the same thing as you experienced, but guess what, traditions evolve. Those who were involved had a good time. You had your Hey Day, let us have our's.[/QUOTE] really? if you're going to be representing seniors at penn, at least spell "ours" correctly. and not everyone appreciates being pelting with condiments or pelting others with them.

[QUOTE id="2784ab05-5f3a-43b6-af91-d3f793e25df3"]You people will complain about everything and anything. Dear alums, I'm sorry Hey Day isn't exactly the same thing as you experienced, but guess what, traditions evolve. Those who were involved had a good time. You had your Hey Day, let us have our's.[/QUOTE] I'm sorry for my spelling error, which apparently, to you, automatically makes my argument obsolete and wrong. I also never claimed to represent the senior class as a whole. My name simply says, A senior. Geez, it's some condiments. How hard is it for you to shower and do laundry? How stuck up do you have to be? You've been through worse in your life.

Speaking as a junior involved in the festivities this weekend, I can say that it was enjoyable even with the condiments. As the senior above said, traditions evolve, and this year there was some ketchup, some barbecue sauce, and a can of collard greens.... nothing like urine or fish as in previous years. I don't really see a problem with that. If it's hazing and not a tradition, then it's hazing. If it's childish, then it's childish.

Hmmm...this hazing is a "tradition"? Since 2002? Give me a break -- throwing toast at football games is a tradition, this sounds spoiled brats gone wild.

I am a 2003 grad, and I find this whole hazing thing ridiculous. A full afternoon of day drinking and celebrating with friends isn't fun enough? You need to cover each other in chocolate sauce and flour? And bags of urine? How are you supposed to go directly from the parade to Mad 4 Mex, followed by Smokes, followed by your freshman year crush's dorm room if you're covered in food and piss? Grow up guys. And in this environment, when you're a poor thirsty student, you throw your free cocktails onto the parade route? Really??? And you're going to blame this on closing the Palladium? Have you never been to the 50 other bars on campus? What ever happened to drinking without having a food fight? The administration and student leaders need to let people know this isn't a tradition, it's just a sad and childish way to make a mess. At the risk of sounding like an old 27-year-old man... what's the matter with the kids these days?

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