Christina Domenico | Ready to raise a glass

As we close in on the final days of the school year, Spring Fling and Hey Day begin to overshadow our scholarly duties once again. Fried Oreos and skimmer hats are just a lot more fun than exams, obviously. But unlike last year, when many juniors were uncertain about whether or not they could attend Hey Day because of its scheduling, this year we all find ourselves with a new twist on tradition.

Last year, I wrote at length about the idiocy of holding Hey Day on a Tuesday, often the busiest day of the week. Fast forward to this year, and we're facing an entirely new situation. Hey Day will be held on a Friday again, with the added bonus of a swanky event for the senior class (no doubt to distract us from heckling the juniors on their march). The Final Toast will take place on College Green, where pledge-signing seniors will share a drink in honor of their replacements atop the Penn pyramid.

I applaud the Junior and Senior Class Boards and administrators who moved the festivities from Tuesday to Friday for this year - skimmer hats off to everyone involved. It was a wise choice, one that will eliminate the anxiety over missing exams and presentations. And by making the event more about changing hands than hazing, they've found a way to involve everyone safely without jeopardizing the feel of the day.

The decision to return the seniors' role on Hey Day to one that offers congratulations will make a great addition to the reformatted 2009 event. We'll have our own picnic that seems to be better than the juniors pre-parade event.

But, as with any change, there are trade-offs. Because of the rerouted traffic patterns due to the South Street Bridge demolition and the influx of people for the Penn Relays, the junior parade route has been shortened to a straight march down Locust Walk from the high rises. Wave to the Quad from the Compass, kids, because that's as close as you're gonna get. Nevertheless, a rearranged route is better than nothing at all.

As for the seniors, we're supposed to trade condiments for free drinks when we sign the pledge to attend the Final Toast.

"We're hoping that seniors will not throw at all," senior class President Brett Perlmutter said.

From my own experience, celebrating juniors are not entirely conscious of what foodstuffs are flying at their faces anyway, so recivilizing ourselves as seniors won't likely take away from anything but the class boards' cleaning budget. With our own party - and free booze - to occupy us, seniors will probably (hopefully?) stick to the plan. Still, I'd be very surprised if there isn't a contingent of seniors that show up armed with condiments, ready to haze the junior class. After all, we didn't escape the shower of shaving cream, and it's unlikely the juniors will walk away clean, either.

But maybe it is time to get out of the condiment aisle. Perlmutter explained, "The feel of the event is going to be a little nicer. . One of the things that we're most excited about is that the administration has put the faith in our class to throw a party where alcohol is served, which will be free for all seniors over the age of 21 who have signed the pledge on penn09.com."

With a serious commitment on behalf of this year's senior class, Hey Day can be reborn (again) into a classier rite of passage that will create even greater memories for future classes. Sure, ketchup and chocolate syrup are fun, but they aren't at the core of Hey Day.

Traditions come and go, at least in Penn history - we don't throw field-goal posts into the Schulkyill anymore. We'll see if the Final Toast joins the ranks of tossing toast and Walnut Walk - or if it merely becomes a passing phase, as organizers hope that food-throwing will become. I'll miss my chance to pelt my junior friends with chocolate syrup, but I'll be out there on the Green, glass in hand, to welcome them to the top.

Christina Domenico is a College senior from North Wildwood, N.J. The Undersized Undergrad appears on Tuesdays. Her email address is domenico@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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