Changes to Beer Bike: a mixed bag
Beer Bike is tomorrow, and while colleges will be celebrating with established traditions, the campus-wide coordinators and Student Judicial Programs are introducing several changes that will alter the dynamic of the event (see story, pg. 1). There are three significant changes being made to Beer Bike. However, not all of these changes are negative. First, the balloon fight will be held at two different stops. This change is supposed to get more students to the bike races. The second stop will be at the intramural fields and would therefore create a shorter walk to the races for students. The Thresher supports the new balloon fight structure and agrees that if students are willing to walk to the second stop and throw more balloons, they will also be willing to travel the short distance to the bike races.
The second change being made this year is the elimination of student bleachers at the races. We feel that this is an unfortunate decision because it may decrease the incentive to attend the races if students know they will be forced to stand in the heat. It is up to the separate colleges to provide seating arrangements for their college, if they choose. However, we feel that colleges should not have to spend their already tight budgets on seating. We hope that the passage of the Beer Bike blanket tax increase will mean that this is not a permanent arrangement.
The final major change is the six-keg limit being created by SJP. For those unaware of the new rule, SJP recently declared that colleges are only allowed six registered kegs for the week of Beer Bike. Unfortunately, the rule was enacted with little preparation time for the college Beer Bike coordinators. Many coordinators ordered their kegs early and were left in a difficult position when the new rule caught wind. While we support SJP's decision to place a limit of registered kegs on colleges, it is important for SJP to understand that six kegs is an insubstantial amount for all of Willy Week. SJP should consider increasing the limit to eight or nine kegs to better suit the colleges' needs.
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