The tradition began in... well, that's actually a bit ambiguous. A melange of sources, mostly blogs or articles of students who have attended the festivities, state varying origins of the school sponsored free-for-all. Wikipedia, that search engine that has all of the answers to life's questions and is hated by professors, states yet another. According to this electronic sage, the year was 1979, and the Human Awareness Program dreamt up day as a way to unite all members of the university, and to welcome in the warm weather and conclusion of classes. But, Wikipedia can be slightly misled, right? Even the most wise of sages could be misled once in a while; so for now, this origin is under speculation.
A 2004 article, by SUNY Albany alumni Jennifer Falcetano, "Do students Really Know What All The Splash is About?" states that Fountain Day finds its origins about thirty years ago; "... because of the Vietnam War the fountains were unable to run all the time during suitable weather. The pumps that operated the fountain were turned on sparingly." It was thus that when the pumps were put to use it was in a more celebratory manner, and festivities were born out of this. Falcetano's article mentions the Human Awareness Program in 1979 and the evolution of the celebration into the Fountain day we know today. Yet another student writer, Chelsea Barraco, wrote that the tradition began in 1978 in an article she wrote in 2006 for an online U Albany magazine, ualbanyezine.com
With all of this possibility it seemed there were a few details to be straightened out. The university website offered no answers, but another student article appeared the most informed out of the many available online.
Written in 2006, by U Albany alumni Erica Boms, from the same issue of the ualbanyezine as Barraco's article, "The History of Fountain Day" was the answer to any uncertainty. It stated that the tradition began May 5th, 1978 under the title May Fest. Then, in 1979 it was renamed the Human Awareness Program in order to facilitate more than the celebration of Spring, but also the unity between faculty and students. It grew to earn the title Human Awareness Program Podium Beer Blast Friday, but was later changed to Fountain Day, for no university would be proud of sanctioning a school day of that title. The celebration was moved to the weekend after the infamous Fountain Day of 2004.
As such, the mysterious past of Fountain Day was uncovered. However, for the most part students don't seem to be as interested in the history of the celebration, or any of the reasons for it, other than the clement weather and excuse to be intoxicated at a university function. It appears that the majority of the journalistic attention the day draws is focused more upon the chaos. With media coverage up the wazzoo, most every incident, some slightly horrifying, has been covered, much to the administrators' chagrin.
Fountain Day 2004, for example, was the most embarrassing for the university, and the most remembered; it even made the evening news. Nicole Way, who attended the celebration remembered, "Everyone was so gone. No one was thinking about what they were doing." Articles of students who attended recall that a couple of "artists" attempted to turn the water gold but instead turned it a radioactive green. It also later became apparent that the off color water bottles students were chugging were not juice or water. And the resultant injuries were cause for alarm; diving into two feet of water while heavily intoxicated proved not to be the best idea. Ambulances ran to and fro from the scene throughout the afternoon. The chaos called so much attention that local reporters struggled to be heard over the bedlam in the background. Disciplinary action was taken in the following days. The combination of beer helmets and pool floats would no longer be tolerated, and blatant disregard for civility was to be done away with. This more recent history of Fountain Day has proved to be of more interest to student writers.
In even more recent history of the celebration, the university took steps to repair its tarnished reputation by hosting the World's largest pillow fight in Collins Circle in 2005. Since then, it appears this effort to improve has led to annual celebrations with out irreparable damage. Though students today still attend the event quite hammered, alcohol consumption is not as obvious. According to a freshman who wishes to remain anonymous and had quite a bit to say since her brother attended last year's and she is eager for this year's celebration, " The Poland Spring bottles can't be like, Jack and Coke colored, they have to be somewhat believable." And it seems the rules for the day have taken on new meaning; a web page created by "The Rick" recalled that at the Fountain Day he attended, the university's motto for the day was, " we don't care if you drink, just try not to do it while standing in or in the immediate area surrounding the fountain if you could please thank you."
The event has gained a place in SUNY Albany's legacy. It is a celebration that has evolved from a student unity function to a day of anarchy, to a happy medium somewhere in between the two. The event has led to the proliferation of numerous articles and prompted students to take more interest in their environment. It has brought a population so used to hibernating all winter into the brilliant light of Spring; it has promoted student and faculty bonds and promoted a more unified campus. Despite the dangers, the necessary discipline, and the aid the day gives to Albany's image as a party school (fifth in the nation!), Fountain Day proves to be welcome in a campus of cold concrete, serious faces, and dreary days.
No comments:
Post a Comment