Temple University Cancels Spring Fling Because College Students Drink
Temple University is canceling its annual “Spring Fling” in the aftermath of a death during the 2013 event. NBC 10 reports:
Last April, 19-year-old Ali Fausnaught fell three stories from the roof of a North Philadelphia row house on the 1900 block of North 18th Street during a Spring Fling party.
School administrators say their decision to cancel Spring Fling wasn’t because of Fausnaught’s death though they described the incident as “devastating.”
After the most recent Spring Fling, President Neil Theobald commissioned Provost Hai-Lung Dai and two vice presidents – James Creedon and Theresa Powell – to look into the future of spring activities, but Theobald said that it’s been clear for months that the event would not carry out as usual.
“It’s kind of been hijacked by a group of people that make this into a bacchanal, a drinking fest,” Theobald said. “We’re not involved in that.”
“This used to be an event that seemed to have a real benefit to the college community because it was the only opportunity that all of these commuter students came together,” Dean of Students Stephanie Ives said. “This particular event has really transformed into something where students perceive it as an excuse to drink and a drinking holiday.”
“A dangerous culture of high-risk drinking has infiltrated the event, undermining our academic mission and our duty to safeguard student health and wellness,” said added Dean of Students Stephanie Ives in yesterday’s email.
“By and large, the consensus was that it is time for us to re-think how best to unite and engage students,” Ives stated in the email. “A university-wide event such as Spring Fling can no longer be reasonably and responsibly sponsored by the university when it has been overshadowed by dangerous behaviors.”
