UD stands strong

By: Kwynn Townsend Riley, Sophomore Columnist

I was worried that students weren’t going to enjoy themselves this year on St. Patrick’s Day.

There was already so much talk among students about the restrictions being implemented to ensure there wouldn’t be a repeat of last year. I was nervous about how strict things would be, but to be honest I was shocked.

I was looking forward to the much-anticipated holiday, but on Friday and Saturday I didn’t see much of a celebration that the university was so worried about. I’m still shocked by the lack of trust the university has with its students.

The whole campus had enough cop presence to make it look like something had already happened with an NSA-like approach to monitoring students. There were campus police everywhere, from Lawnview Ave. to Marianist Hall, to UDF on Brown St.
Almost immediately on Friday afternoon, police officers began to set up barricades outside of Marianist Hall and in front of the RecPlex restricting parking to P Lot for students who had their permit.

This was truly effective for outside guests who aren’t a part of the UD community. But, I still felt like students were almost like little children placed inside of a play pen.

I felt as if our wings were taken away. As a check-in attendant for Housing and Residence Life, it was sad to see so many upperclassmen, who are legally old enough to consume alcoholic beverages during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, being unnecessarily confronted by campus police.

Previously, I experienced hardship with students as a check-in attendant and this weekend I was expecting this again. However, I received the complete opposite. I received kindness, compassion, benevolence and help. In fact, my best friend even stayed with me during one of my shifts this weekend and shared similar sentiment. I am so happy to hear that students still had a great time, to see smiles, and receive appreciation, and even a free cup of hot chocolate from a student.

The student body at the University of Dayton ceases to amaze me. Even when our parking is restricted, we still find a way to build as a community and fly.

Even though last year I was able to enjoy some of the festivities, this year I was able to experience fun, swiping flyer cards, listening to stories and enjoying being a Flyer.