Drag Ball is nearly two weeks past, and although that makes its discussion perhaps a bit untimely, it also has left time for contemplation. That contemplation has resulted in a single basic thought: maybe it’s time for Drag Ball to end.
It is hard to make this admission as an Oberlin student. Drag Ball is the biggest party we have here, easily the largest assemblage of students in a single place outside of graduation. It’s crazy, cathartic and usually a lot of fun. This year’s Drag Ball, however, left a bit of an odd taste in the mouth.
The alleged rape outside Drag Ball would be disturbing enough, even without the added facts that a) it was a security officer who perpetrated the crime and b) the administration responded not with shock and horror, or even an announcement that the incident occurred, but with the response that Security “did an outstanding job,” according to Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith and a reassurance that the incident “does not involve any students.” Senior SAST Co-Chair Rachel Barrett’s comment in the April 20 Review that, “It’s important to remember that for every person who will go to the police, there are dozens who would never tell anyone,” is hardly reassuring. 
And that’s just for starters. The atmosphere inside Drag Ball itself, while certainly exciting, had a thicker than usual coating of sleaze this year. In addition to the incessant groping (consensual and not), there were numerous acts of sexual congress in fully open, unobstructed public space. In addition to being illegal and highly unsanitary, this is just disgusting. Please people, get a room. It’s fine to be open and expressive of your sexuality, but show-and-tell in a public forum is a little much, especially when the rest of the people in that public space paid to have a party, not to see a live sex show.
Drag Ball started out as an expression of queer culture and an opportunity for education; it has long since ceased to be anything but a big crazy party. And perhaps it’s perfectly fine for the biggest, craziest Oberlin party to be one that also stresses the free expression of sexuality. But when you add to “big” and “crazy,” the descriptors “unsafe,” “unsanitary” and “disgusting,” and it would be hard to make a case for the continuation of Drag Ball. 

New Alcohol Policy A Good Step

The General Faculty voted Tuesday to approve a revised policy on alcohol, one which stresses an increased role for counseling and also provides the possibility of far harsher penalties for student intoxication. All in all, the policy is an improvement over the previous one and, given the generally understanding mindset of the current administration with regard to student (mis)conduct, there is little immediate danger of the policy’s misuse. However, the ambiguity of the language may be cause for future concern, especially in the event of a more strict administrative environment.
The policy does make many allowances, however. In addition to the leniency for first-time offenders, the policy lets “Good Samaritans” and the intoxicated students they assist off the hook without disciplinary action, “unless the individuals involved demonstrate a repeated lack of care concerning their well-being and the well-being of the campus community.”
The only potential undoing of the policy arises, as stated before, in the ambiguous wording of how to handle repeated violations of the policy; “The reoccurrence of such violations may result in judicial action and include sanctions appropriate to the individual sanction.” The room for “judicial action” leaves the possibility that future administrations may take a harder line in terms of enforcement. A more definite expression of “appropriate to the individual sanction,” (which may arise through experience with the policy) would go a long way to assuaging any such fears. 
Realistically, only a small fraction of students who become severely intoxicated will have any sort of interaction with the administration regarding their state. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on how detrimental one gauges Oberlin’s collective alcohol abuse problem to be. It is also a small surprise to read the policy and see no distinction between students who are legally allowed to consume alcohol and those who are not, although it is refreshing to see the College being so realistic (i.e., admitting that they aren’t going to stop underage drinking). But by and large, the new alcohol policy represents an improvement and should be applauded as such.

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board –– the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor and Perspectives Editor –– and do not necessarily reflect the view of the staff of the Review.