Things move fast at the College of William & Mary. Students here are constantly intertwined with studies, extracurriculars and social life, stuck in a constant struggle of what to focus on, who to focus on, and how to manage the short amount of time in a day. Since the people here are so great, it’s hard to figure out which ones to commit your time to, and since everyone is so involved, it is easy to push people aside altogether in order to get work done. Sometimes, when things get really down to the wire, it seems like even the most important people in your life disappear.
At the College, however, the hope of returning to one’s social life is never fully eclipsed. Even in the darkest hours of a semester, one day lies as a light at the end of the tunnel, a day where even events academic and extracurricular exist for a purely social purpose. I am, of course, talking about Blowout.
People often use Blowout as a day for heavy drinking. There are no if, ands or buts about it. If you walk around campus any time of day on Blowout, there is an extremely high chance are you will see at least one person intoxicated. However, throwing Blowout under the bus simply because people use it as an excuse to drink is like throwing Christmas under the bus for its rampant consumerism: What makes the day so special is what it means to us.
During the last day of the spring semester, it is hard to not miss all of the wonderful people met throughout the academic year, and Blowout gives the perfect excuse to see them all again. Having a day devoted to having fun not only forces students at the College to socialize, but also subtracts the guilt of forgoing Swem for one designated day. It is a time to remember days gone by, the life that used to be, and to pray that friendship never runs dry.
Additionally, the fact that Blowout exists in the first place speaks volumes to how driven our students truly are. At the College, a day devoted entirely to social activities (sober or otherwise) is by far the exception rather than the rule. Even on the wildest of weekends, it seems like most students at the College save their entertainment for the nighttime. By virtue of there being an argument against Blowout in the first place, Blowout justifies itself.
I have had no absence of busy times at the College. Balancing classes, being an editor here at Flat Hat, and acting in multiple productions this year has taken out quite a large chunk of my time. So cheers to those times of work, to the ethic of the College, and most of all to you Blowout. Let us spend the day with friends, and work another day.
Email Anthony Madalone at asmadalone@email.wm.edu.
[…] students get blackout drunk across campus to commemorate their school year in an event called Blowout. While the student board has been known to hand out free shirts to those who can blow a zero on a […]