Sendoff closes semester

Last Saturday's Summer Sendoff, which featured a concert by Virginia-based hip-hop duo Clipse, was executed well, according to Director of Safety Bob Hooper. "It was very well-planned, and Student Activities and Social Board did a great job," Hooper said. "We had a cart going around handing out water, and I think that was a great idea. We went through a ton of water."

"I really appreciated the efforts to keep us hydrated," Justin Bain '10 said. "It was great that you had faculty, administration … the community just helping out."

For members of Social Board, the year's planning paid off. "I think all aspects of the event went well," Social Board member Emily Smith '11 said. "The weather was perfect, the food was delicious and the giveaways were a hit." In addition to the free concert, Sendoff featured booths with airbrush tattoos, a make-your-own-sand-art station, raffles and free sunglasses.

While the freebies were popular-"The sunglasses were pretty money," Garrett Fields '12 said-opinions differed regarding the musical performance. "Clipse was not money, and we didn't get them for cheap," Charley Yukevich '09 said. Despite repeated gunshot sound effects and repetitive songs, "the bass was nice," Phil Edmunds '09 said. Clipse bowed out after a 45-minute performance, leaving many students disappointed.

As the night tapered off for the students, Safety and Security officers were at their busiest. "The peak time for us is after the event's over and people start heading back to the buildings. We have to keep an eye on people, making sure they get back," Hooper said. There were also concerns about non-Kenyon students on campus; the majority of these, Hooper said, were not high school students, but rather people who "show up just to create a problem. That is the reason that we have deputies posted at the gates for those kinds of situations."

The night was not completely without incident. Six to eight people were treated for injuries due to broken glass, according to Hooper, though Safety "made a concerted effort again this year to tell people not to use glass bottles." One student was taken to the hospital for alcohol-related reasons, so Safety "checked on him throughout the day to make sure he was all right," Hooper said. Vandalism was also an issue, primarily on the South Quad. "We had a lot of vandalism this year, a lot of damages in the bathrooms, broken windows … it just seems to be acceptable," he said. "I just don't understand it."

Cleanup was also somewhat of an issue, Hooper said. "We started off pretty well keeping the areas clean, picking stuff off of the South Quad, but around 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. it kind of fell apart," Hooper said. "It seemed like as soon as a few people did it, everyone just started chucking their garbage on the ground." Additionally, Maintenance had to deal with multiple instances of "cleaning up after people who'd had too much," Hooper said.

The only other potential issue was the reach of the concert, according to President S. Georgia Nugent. "Apparently the language of the rap singer was not particularly appreciated as it wafted over the Village," she said. "So I'm sure that will be discussed at Village Council."

Overall, however, the event was successful. "Sendoff was lively but under control, and Social Board did a great job," Nick Loud said '11. "I hope the Kenyon community enjoyed their time on the lawn and were able to appreciate all the hard work and effort [Social Board] puts in to making this day a success," said Emily Smith.