Saving Spring Fling

Spring Fling has come and gone, and despite the rain, this year's festival should be considered a success. Why? Because students may just have saved Fling. After months of various groups and administrators urging students to scale back their drinking and dangerous behaviors, students did just that. Not drastically, but you could sense a difference this year.

And it was mostly thanks to students.

For months, students had been told the future of Fling was in danger. Administrators worried -- sometimes rightly so -- over the excessive drinking that takes place during Fling weekend, and they made it clear that the idea of moving Fling out of the Quadrangle wasn't outside the realm of possibility. The Social Planning and Events Committee and the Undergraduate Assembly took up the charge and let students know how their actions could affect Fling.

And students responded.

More than 250 Penn students signed up for the FlingSafe program, which was designed to maintain a safe atmosphere by using peer assistance when students needed it. Students also submitted to the longer bag checks at the Quad with little more than a few quiet grumbles.

Futhermore, the student body as a whole did a better job controlling its behavior. Sixteen students were cited for underage drinking last year; that number fell to 12 this year.

Students stepped up this year and met the University halfway. If students know what's at stake and have incentives to behave, they will do so. But the students aren't in control of Fling -- the Penn administration is. Provost Ron Daniels, President Amy Gutmann and others must make it clear to students what must be done to keep Fling in the Quad, where it belongs.

As students proved this year, they are up to the challenge.

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