If you were outside the AMRs late last Thursday afternoon, you might have noticed a bunch of crazy kids drawing with crayons and markers outside. They looked like fairly innocuous, typical Hopkins students ? discounting the guitar one of them was wielding. As you drew nearer, you'd come to realize that they were in the process of writing cards, and as you came closer still, someone would approach you and ask you to help.
Apparently, this gathering was a community service event. Students were writing to children in the childrens cancer ward at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Class of '05 Student Council was providing the names of the children along with the supplies.
So, being the giving student you are, you sat down with your peers, grabbed some supplies and picked a child to write to. There were about 15 of you there at all times, it was nice outside, you'd finished your Orgo exam six hours ago, and damn, that kid with the guitar could play.
While you were in the middle of your card, some RA's came up to tell you that everyone had to go. Apparently having AMR MPR tables outside was against the rules. Since they obviously weren't about to force you to leave, and since they even admitted how noble your cause was and how, as individuals, they didn't really want to make you go, you stayed with the rest of the crowd.
Then the Hop Cop came. On his beat, he had heard of your disobedience and decided it was time for some order. The tables were quickly brought indoors, and the students left as quickly. Not many people came after that.
As a member of the Class of '05 council, I thank those of you who did come ? especially those who even came once the event was moved indoors. However, I have to ask myself: "Why the stupid rules? Why can't I take a table outside after I've reserved it and everything else in the MPR? Why can't I poster in the hallways? Why have RA's told me that I can't poster in one location, even though student groups A, B and C already have illegal posters there? Why is it so difficult to bring an event to the students?"
I think we are all old enough, and busy enough, to realize that the only way to make events happen at Hopkins is to bring them to the students or to give them more than enough incentive to attend. Community service and speakers events fall into the former, large social events, such as the Baja club night, fall into the latter.
Yet, as an event organizer, it's really difficult to do either one. Advertising is always an issue. You must go through the standard channels: e-mail, postering and sometimes even banners. When these are restricted, it obviously makes life more difficult. Off-campus events involve transportation issues, while Homewood events are mostly restricted to a couple of venues, which organizers must compete for against not-student-oriented events. Apparently, if you try to bring an event even closer to the students, you have Hop Cops to deal with as well. This makes the entire process difficult and gives rise to the necessity of basic, less organized events. Weekly concerts, feature films (such as "The Royal Tenenbaums"), etc. need to be a part of the Hopkins social life.
However, the administration already has a reputation of taking basic events away from students, and we don't even respond as a whole. Apparently the Beach was the place to be late Friday and Saturday night a few years ago, as was E-Level every night of the week. Spring Fair used to be on the freshman quad, and upperclassmen can probably still remember the sound of the Ferris wheel turning when they woke up in the AMR's. I have even heard of people who want to move Spring Fair off Homewood Campus.
I actually doubt all of these events were taken away due to the administration. It's probably the lawyers, underwriters, donors, etc. who are to blame. Who knows? However, the point is that we need to stop this. We need to gain back events on our campus. We need our administration to stand up for us and say: "These students have a right to have fun on campus, and we should be the ones sponsoring that on a weekly basis." And we as students need to respond, and back them up as well.
