Well ... big surprise. A bunch of drunken idiots took a good thing and turned it bad. The Relay for Life event held this Friday and Saturday in Bender Arena should have been remembered for the $24,000 raised for cancer research. Instead it is remembered for three vandalized urinal dividers and other assorted hi-jinx. Even worse, due to contractual obligations, Relay for Life will have to divert money away from cancer research to pay for the vandalized property.
Now it is time for AU to go into damage control mode. NBC 4 has already picked up on the story, giving the university some unneeded publicity when we should all still be basking in the public glow of our triumphant run to the NCAA tournament. To minimize bad publicity and, oh yeah, do the right thing, AU should opt to pay for the damages out of pocket and let Relay for Life keep its money.
But the problem here goes well past bad publicity and broken urinal dividers - the problem here is a question of basic decency. Why where there incredibly drunk people attending an event raising money for cancer research? Are college students so devoid of decency that they can't put the bottle away for one night? Relay for Life fundraisers are known as rockin' good times, as well they should be, but there are serious moments and there are people who take it seriously. For some, a few extra thousand dollars toward cancer research isn't about Red Bull pong or blow-up fun houses but actually about curing cancer. For these people it is more than just logging hours to meet philanthropy quotas.
Donating a few dollars to cancer research doesn't give you a blank moral check to do whatever you want. If you can't act right, stay away. These students, whoever they were, need to wake up and grow up. Drunken idiocy has its place - at Guapo's or the Berkshires or a fraternity house - not in Bender Arena while helping raise money for cancer research.
According to the event's coordinator, an eyewitness at the scene has named a suspect. We all hope that the lead is real and that whoever is responsible is caught and forced to pay for the damages in addition to the normal repercussions. Not only will this save Relay for Life or AU some money, but it will also be somewhat satisfying to those of us on campus who are annoyed by this kind of stupidity.
If you know anything about the vandalism, please contact Public Safety's non-emergency call-line at 202-885-2527.
