Both the senior and junior class boards are encouraging responsible behavior this Hey Day.
Class representatives sent e-mails to both juniors and seniors warning against a repeat of recent Hey Days at which members of the senior class have thrown condiments, food and other substances at juniors as they march down Locust Walk. The tradition has come to be called "Hey Deja Vu."
They have also warned students that University administrators will punish any students caught engaging in such behavior. Video cameras on Locust Walk will be used to capture the event.
Junior Class President and Wharton junior Andrew Kaplan said that there will be increased police presence at Hey Day in addition to the video cameras.
"We hope these serve as a deterrent, and while we hope there is no incident, if there is one, there will be consequences for student actions," Kaplan said.
Members of the Senior Class Board had an alternative solution to cutting down on "Hey Deja Vu" excesses.
They suggested to administrators that the board be allowed to approve certain items -- like ketchup or flour -- that seniors would be allowed to throw at juniors as they march past them.
But the board instead settled for an e-mail announcement that warned seniors not to go too far.
Senior Class President and College senior Pierre Gooding said that approving certain items could be seen as institutionalizing the "Hey Deja Vu tradition."
"The ultimate goal is to try to curb the activity together," Gooding said. Hey Deja Vu "is relatively new and not an actual part of Hey Day, although people may think so since it has been around since [current seniors] first came to Penn."
The announcements from the Junior and Senior Class Boards have focused on the potentially dangerous effects of throwing objects as well as on the punishment with which the administration is threatening any who take part.
University officials also sent out an e-mail detailing general hazing policies and punishments.
"I think that the Class of 2006 understands it has a responsibility to preserve Hey Day as a tradition at Penn," Gooding said.
But Kaplan, the Junior Class president, knows that large scale change will take more time.
"Getting rid of Hey Deja Vu will take a number of years, and it will take students being serious about trying to save the tradition and being respectful of each other," he said.
Some students think the University is overstepping its bounds by threatening to cancel Hey Day entirely.
"The University can crack down on [it], but they should not get rid of it entirely," College junior Kyle Bell said.
But for now, Bell added, juniors should be prepared to get messy no matter what.
"If you don't want to get hit with shaving cream or syrup, you should stay inside," he said.
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