An untimely ending

Pardon the pun, but the University administration is on quite a losing streak. This fall, the administration sent a letter to incoming freshmen warning them of the dangers of fraternities and sororities. Meanwhile, it has subtly but consistently attempted to undermine the eating clubs. Now, backed up with threats of probation or worse, it has axed the streaking team. It almost seems that the administration has it in for anybody whose idea of a good time does not involve University supervision or sponsorship. They really should lighten up a bit.

We are not against the rule of law. Any organization, this university included, needs to have policies and regulations. Community members who violate those regulations need to be appropriately punished. But the key word is "appropriately." Especially on a college campus, every action must be viewed in its context and put in the proper perspective. While streaking may not be technically acceptible under "Rights, Rules, Responsibilities," it is hard to imagine how the school is now better off without its late "Varsity" streaking team.

In the end, wasn't the point of this group to bring a bit of levity into our harried Princeton lives, to shake us out of our daily routine and remind us that we're in college? Every day, we Princetonians are confronted with a host of pressures: the Goldman interview, the JP, the experiment in Frick. Perhaps this is as it should be: we are, after all, largely a campus of Type-A overachievers. But sometimes, we need someone to poke fun at all of this, to remind us that all this work is maybe not so very serious after all. And what better reminder than to see our fellow students harmlessly flout one of society's most fundamental conventions?

There will be plenty of time later to serve as upstanding members of the community: Senators, physicians, ambassadors and scientists. But now, these few brief years are our chance to do something that is just a bit crazy. You are only young once.