Streak divides class

As a member of the Class of 2004, I would like to comment on the article “Free Alcohol, Nudity Forbidden” from the November 14th edition of the Lawrentian. I am especially concerned about the community’s association of the senior dinner with the events that follow.Anyone who has been on campus within the past few years would agree that the “senior streak” and the senior dinner have appeared to be a combined event. Many assume that because the streak occurs a few hours following the senior dinner, it is a part of the senior program. But this combination is not a long-standing tradition. Ten years ago the streak was just that, a random streak. It was a spontaneous event sometime during third term, which only the seniors knew about. It was not the spectacle it has become.

The purpose of the senior dinner is to have an elegant event in which both the graduating seniors and professors can participate. The goal is to unify the senior class and provide an opportunity for the class to interact with their professors. Yet something of the opposite has happened.

The Senior Class Program Mission states “Events and programs are planned during the senior year to build a sense of community within the class.” My personal opinion of the senior streak is that it has helped to divide the class. There have been a number of participants in the streak, but there have also been a number of people who have felt uncomfortable with the situations imposed from the streak. I feel that the senior dinner, being one of the last events organized by the senior program, should be a time of unity among the class.

Lastly, I would like to inform the rest of the Lawrence community about the Senior Class Programming Committee. This is a group of fun and creative students who are already brainstorming ideas for the end of the school year. They have already organized one event, which was well accepted by the senior class. In addition, they have many great social events planned for the rest of the year, and the changes to the Senior Class Program are not expected to affect those events.

Liz Kruesi,

Class of 2004 Secretary