Anya Mullen– Opinions Editor

 Reed Street’s St. Paddy’s celebration was a great time regardless of the snowy conditions outside. However, I couldn’t help but notice that there were significantly fewer people there than in the last two years I have been at Bishop’s. There wasn’t even a ginger run this year! This could have just been because of the cold weather, but I found myself wondering why the crowd was so much smaller than it used to be, and if it is a sign of a greater shift in our university’s culture.

Image courtesy of Anya Mullen

It seems to me that the partying reputation that attracted many students to the school is not what it once was. Gait attendance is declining, and the big parties at houses like Animal and Jungle that I have heard about from upper years and grads no longer seem to exist. 

There could be many reasons for this. The threat of a tuition raise two years ago could have caused fewer students to choose Bishop’s. The university administration also seems to want to distance the school’s reputation from that of a “party school.” This was clear to many students when the Winterfest railjam, the highlight of many students’ entire year, was threatened to be shut down due to alleged safety concerns. But students have always partied, and there is a way to do it safely. In our tight-knit community, everyone looks out for each other and makes sure one another gets home safely. Students even volunteer for student safety, handing out snacks at off-campus events like St. Paddy’s on Reed Street. To me, this shows that everyone can participate in our school’s diverse culture, even if they don’t want to directly participate in the party.

An event like St. Paddy’s is a welcomed break from our studies, and I think that BU students encompass “work hard play hard” to a tee. Yes, I was decked out in green and having fun over the weekend, but when Monday comes around, I’m back in the library, writing newspaper articles like this one and working on assignments. 

Without these student-organized events to look forward to, I think Bishop’s would lose so much of its charm and community. Something I love about this university is the ample opportunities to get involved in on- and off-campus life, with students of all ages and backgrounds. Thanks to being at such a small school, I get to be friends with students in all years and programs, from all over the country and the world. 

So yes, the crowd on Reed Street this year was smaller than I remember it being, and we all missed the ginger run. However, I can only hope that this is not a sign of great change in the Bishop’s community. I want people to continue to be involved, because there are jobs to have, clubs to join, sports to play and people everywhere to meet and hang out with, if BU students keep looking.