Is Tradition Slowly Dying at the University of Dayton?

(Photo courtesy of the University of Dayton’s Instagram account @universityofdayton)

Martin O’Connor | Contributing Writer

Throughout the University of Dayton’s history, the school has picked up a formidable reputation as a party school. The Wall Street Journal even ranked Dayton as the No. 2 party school in the country this September, with Tulane University taking the top spot. This is a reputation that many students revel in and do their due diligence to upkeep. The partying at Dayton happens in abundance, but there is growing conflict between the student body’s perspective versus the school board’s perspective on how to go about this campus lifestyle. 

One major thing that has driven this divide of perspective is the difference of understanding of campus traditions. Many students view the use of sheet signs, house décor, “day-drinks”, and student bands as wonderful traditions at Dayton that help create a community feeling amongst students. Ask anyone at the University of Dayton–students, faculty, and Marianists–and they will tell you how important and real this sense of community is. For many, it is a huge factor as to why they love the school so much and their experience here. 

The reality now is that there is a lack of understanding and communication between the school and the student body which has hindered this community feeling.

The school board has worked hard to provide a safe atmosphere on campus. However, in doing so they have enforced several crackdowns for social events on campus that many students view as traditional events that make this campus so unique. While some say the change is necessary for the university to evolve and provide safety for students, others argue that it threatens the heart of the school’s identity.

For seniors like Jessie Sicurezza, the timing of these crackdowns could not be more frustrating. “The community aspect is something that is really big here and I think the traditions help maintain that aspect.” 

Having participated in traditional events like students hosting student bands at house parties, day-drinks/night-drinks, and sheet signs since her freshman year, this increased crackdown of these events have left her and many other seniors feeling like their final year on campus is not the same as previous years. “I think with traditions slowly going away the community aspect will fizzle out and it won’t be as unique of an experience to go to the University of Dayton in the future.”

One thing that was made abundantly clear when talking with the student body is the sense of community so many feel on campus. To a lot of these students, the traditions on campus that have faced scrutiny from the school help foster this community’s environment. A large part of the frustration felt among students is the fact these traditions and the community aspect of Dayton go hand in hand, which leaves many students feeling like these crackdowns are taking away from that communal feeling.

As the class of 2025 prepares for graduation, the limitations of these traditions weigh heavily on their minds. For many, these events helped define their university experience and brought them closer to their peers. Jessie said, “When I graduate, I will still view Dayton as a positive experience, but I don’t think that my senior year had as much community and tradition as previous graduating classes.”

The most recent instance of an event being shut down was an all-day student band concert hailed as ‘Lowes Stock’, where a house on Lowes St. was going to have student bands playing from noon to night during the Saturday of family weekend. This event was made for the students and their families to enjoy live music together, but the main organizers of this event had to scrap it after receiving emails from the school threatening suspension if they went through with it. What was supposed to be a fun gathering for the parents, who in large part fund this school, ended up being nothing more than an idea that did not come to fruition because the school wanted to avoid a large gathering on Lowes St. 

It is important to remember there are always two sides to a story. It is essential to hear the school’s perspective as well, to reach some kind of common ground and prevent growing discontent among students. As frustrating as these efforts have been, one must consider the legal and financial implications that the school board faces when dealing with these traditions. 

The Assistant Vice President and Chief of Police at University of Dayton Department of Public Safety, Savalas Kidd, explained how the school’s efforts have been focused on the foundational problem at hand as well as the problems that can stem from these situations. His main problem with this amplified noise was the fact that it can lead to large gatherings and incentivize alcohol consumption, which can increase risk amongst student’s safety. 

Kidd said, “When what someone refers to as tradition creates the opportunity for safety vulnerabilities, we’re not trying to disrupt traditions, but we have other opportunities and pathways in order for bands and communities to take place.” He emphasized finding a balance between student desires and school desires, because certain events put him into a corner, requiring him to have police intervention. 

Christine Schramm, Dayton’s Associate Vice President and Dean of Students further discussed the school’s institutional responsibility to mitigate risk on campus. When it comes to dealing with these social events where alcohol is present, Schramm stated, “We have to abide by federal, local, and state laws.” Both Schramm and Kidd talked about the focus not being on the students, but instead on the event itself and how they can go about mitigating the results of said event. 

Their experiences when dealing with these social events have led them to this resulting level of mitigation seen on campus now. To the school, if they can deal with the root cause, then from their perspective, they are doing what is right both legally and institutionally. To them it is not the individual, but the event.  “Safety is our top priority.”

After speaking with both sides, it was clear that there needs to be better initiatives with communicating student wants and what the school can provide. It is essential that some type of balance or compromise be reached before the discontent becomes commonplace among students. Ultimately, there needs to be better efforts on both ends to try and find solutions to the problems at hand. As for right now, Dayton will still live up to its reputation, but if changes are not made to how both sides view this reputation, then tension will continue to grow.