Harrington Hall prez wants house reputation to change
Harrington Hall president Bobby Gaudet has spent much of his year trying to transform the image of Harrington into more than just a party house.
“If you walk the halls of Harrington Hall, you will meet some of the kindest and smartest people at this university. I wanted our reputation to reflect that,” Gaudet said in a Facebook message.
Gaudet has been working with vice-president academic Barry Craig on how to change the reputation of April 6th Day, a day-long Harrington celebration that usually involves drinking.
Gaudet says the 23-year-old tradition will be a little different this year.
“April 6th Day was included in pre-conceived ideas and beliefs that I felt had to be changed,” Gaudet said.
The house won’t be providing liquor to residents as it has in the past and there will be more sober events going on during the day.
“[April 6th day] is symbolic to our house and our pride as Raiders and our community,” Gaudet said.
“The goal of April 6th Day is not to simply have a day of drinking but to remember that this event is about community and bonding as a house and I believe that bonding does not have to necessarily include a bottle.”
The changes come as the university is in the process of developing a new student code of conduct. Craig chairs the president’s advisory committee tasked with drafting the code.
The document will spell out standards of behaviour on campus and is expected to be complete this month. Students will be able to give feedback on the code once the draft is finished and the final version should be in place by fall – if the president and senate approve it.
“I don’t think we’re trying to extend the prohibition of activities [with the code of conduct],” Craig said.
“The things that will be prohibited, the kinds of activities and actions are things that virtually everybody would say, ‘Well, yeah, of course that’s wrong.’”
Craig is equally clear about what isn’t acceptable during April 6th Day, adding that the new code of conduct won’t put any particular focus on the tradition.
“I’ve sent that message to the house that anybody involved in drunkenness in a classroom can expect fairly significant response from the university. Students celebrating the end of classes with each other, having fun, having a party – I don’t have any difficulty with those things.
“Last year [we had] a large degree of success in communicating how April 6th Day might be observed in a way that’s less disruptive.”
At a recent students’ union meeting, the union asked the university to cover the cost of having campus police at house events. Craig wouldn’t comment on whether the university will pay for campus police. He says residence life, individual houses and the university are still negotiating.
Gaudet hopes Harrington’s changes to April 6th Day will go a long way in altering the residence’s reputation on campus.
“I hope that our stand as a residence community at St. Thomas University will be well received and respected as it is something we are doing to promote safe drinking and to promote the safety and well-being of all residents.”
