Staff Divid-Ed: Quadstock's meaning

For Quadstock Taking its name from the legendary Woodstock festival, Quadstock is Seattle University's one big annual event that gives students a chance to get together and celebrate as a community with a day filled with fun, games, food and music. But sadly many students seem to associate it with the seedier side of its namesake, treating the event instead as an excuse to indulge in substance abuse and debauchery, to the point where many students forego attending Quadstock altogether in favor of the "Passport Party," which parallels the event every year.

This isn't the way Quadstock should be approached by the student body. SEAC devotes tons of time and energy every year into trying to develop the event to its fullest potential, and yet many students refuse to acknowledge these efforts because of their own desire to indulge in the excess associated with the Passport Party.

Talib Kweli is headlining Quadstock XX. He's a marlin in the small pond of Seattle U, and the student body should feel grateful that SEAC managed to hook him for the festival. The Seattle U community should show its gratitude toward SEAC's efforts by attending the event sober, ready to celebrate with a day full of great student-run events and a night full of high quality music. This is the positive attitude Quadstock needs to be approached with; a large turnout of sober, excited students will hopefully perpetuate SEAC's drive to bring strong talent to the event. Think about it: If Quadstock XX has Talib Kweli, and it goes well, Quadstock XXI could host someone even better.

If the name Quadstock becomes associated with community fun on the Seattle U campus, high profile bands will come running to play its showcase. Forget the Capitol Hill Block Party. A positive approach to Quadstock could turn the event into the next big thing happening annually in Seattle.

For Tradition The University of Washington has the U District StreetFair, the Apple Cup and Greek rush.

Reed College in Portland has Renn Fayre, a three-day celebration of excess.

Other colleges across the country have their respective festivals, and every single one have two things in common: alcohol and student-driven tradition.

Seattle University's one tradition in a generally tradition-less school is Quadstock and its underground sister the "Passport Party." Students hopping from house to house, drinking drink after drink is something special simply in the fact it happens so infrequently at this university. Students rarely come together in these numbers to do anything at all, let alone party.

Passports aside, the criticism against students drinking and attending Quadstock threatens one of the few and far between traditions. It's anticipated and expected, and simply offers two paths that day, instead of the usual 100 or so events, lectures, protests, rallies, readings, shows or studying.

Binge drinking is dangerous. Consuming opened drinks from strangers is also dangerous. Drinking and safety are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In a rare moment, we began to understand the university's struggle with Quadstock. Administrators know what happens regarding alcohol and other illicit substances. They try to curb those tendencies by adding events on the Union Green and in the residence halls. However, Quadstock-both the concert and celebrations-has transcended the music and become a Seattle U cultural tradition.

Quadstock deserves its due respect. It's by far the most successful on-campus program of the year, but just because it happens on the same day as one of the most successful off-campus programs doesn't mean that the latter isn't important, too. Keep both traditions alive.