WaWa brothers treated unfairly

Of those present at or near the Alpha Delta Phi (WaWa) fraternity house on the night of Oct. 17, 2002, few will likely forget the surreal image of countless police officers surrounding the entranceway of the house, bellowing idle threats through piercing megaphones. Nor will they soon misplace the egregious assembly of a 50 man, police-style line-up hastily and extemporarily gathered on the ground floor of WaWa in an effort to identify those responsible for throwing the balloons. For those not fortunate enough to be directly associated with the dragnet, the menacing police chopper that circled over the premises for several minutes must have provided an indelible portrait, as well as awe and entertainment for everyone in the immediate area.

With little doubt, the scene outside of the WaWa house on that fateful night was a fantastical demonstration of what, exactly, the Baltimore Police is both willing and able to accomplish in the name of salvaging some semblance of orderly obedience. It is indeed unfortunate that they couldn't have applied this same sort of vigilance, and used the same number of resources, when tracking the sniper who recently terrorized the region.

Though it can be argued the police acted despotically during the siege of 5 East 33rd St., it cannot be said that they acted irresponsibly; that label must be placed on the balloon launchers themselves. Indeed, few could deny that these individuals are guilty of temporary lapses of reason, and perhaps even general immaturity. But are they really the simpletons that some in the community view them to be?

Perhaps the problem in effectively answering this question lies in the fact that a wide range of Hopkins students have differing existential notions of the purpose of college. Some believe -- and many would agree -- that we are here to fully immerse ourselves in the minutia of academia on our way to securing a successful career. Others would contend that we are here for a well-rounded education complete with the common indiscretions that precisely define us as what we are: young adults. Most would likely argue that the successful college experience requires a healthy and robust approach where ideas can be shared and mistakes made, but the student ultimately benefiting from both. With little doubt, the students responsible for throwing water balloons have learned a series of important lessons that will hopefully guide their actions when faced with similar decisions in the future.

It is important to understand that I am not arguing that throwing water balloons is an essential part of a well-rounded education. I am simply suggesting that, as college students between the ages of 18 and 21, we should have more tolerance toward juvenile actions of this sort. Why? Because WE ARE juveniles.

The type of discussion that these arrests have raised is even more difficult to rationalize when one considers the problems other institutions have had recently that are actually of a serious nature. Large schools like Texas A&M, Penn State and the University of Maryland have been in the news over the past several months for a variety of reasons, ranging from student riots to fatal arson. Other smaller colleges with an enrollment more comparable to Hopkins, such as Gettysburg and Bloomsburg (PA), have also experienced catastrophic losses of life because of irresponsible actions on the part of a few. These are the tragic realities that exist when students make terrible decisions that impact on innocent people.

It appears to me that those who are embarrassed to be part of the Hopkins community because of the actions of few Wawa brothers should, in actuality, be embarrassed of themselves for their glaring lack of general understanding and perspective. It is important to remember that we are actual college students despite what your friends at Penn State, Pitt and Maryland may tell you. As such, perhaps we should look less harshly on those who make innocent, juvenile mistakes and more critically on those who seek to make the college experience different than what, by all accounts, it ought to be.