As some of you may know, I attended and graduated from Indiana State University (ISU). I’m not going to wax poetic about my college career or ISU’s campus or anything like that. But, the one thing that ISU does have that I will support until the end of time is a little thing called “The Walk”.
“The Walk” is an annual bar crawl that happened before the homecoming football game. Students wake up as early as 6am to drunkenly weave their way down Wabash Ave. while hitting every bar between campus and the football stadium for a drink or five. It is much like Purdue University’s breakfast club or any number of other bar crawls around the country.
It's a big deal to ISU and to Terre Haute. In general it seems that ISU students love it and that the townspeople of Terre Haute would rather burn their bibles and participate in homosexual fornication while experimenting with intravenous drug use than allow this tradition to continue.
One article in the local newspaper, the Tribune Star, was written by a Mrs. Creasy and had some slightly venomous thoughts about how “The Walk” affects Terre Haute and its inhabitants. Please check her article out: http://tribstar.com/flashpoint/x231067133/Flashpoint-Terre-Haute-needs-an-alternative-to-ISU-s-walk
My good friend Barstool Theory has already written a rebuttal (check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbarstooltheory.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fisu-homecoming-walk-is-ours-not-yours.html&h=a25e1). The following is my response.
Dear Mrs. Creasy,
You’re wrong.
In order to make sure that I don’t miss anything let’s just take your column in order and itemize the things you’re wrong about.
1) You’re right about homecoming being about supporting the Sycamores. Granted, it can also be annoying sitting next to someone at a sporting event that is rip-roaring drunk (unless you’ve also had a few too many glasses of White Zin). My question to you would be how often are you out there “supporting the Sycamores” on days that aren’t homecoming? What’s the average attendance at an ISU football game? Almost none. I say that anything that gets people to the stadium is a good thing and not to be sneered at.
2) You then attempt to blame alcoholism on participation in “The Walk”. HAHAHAHAHA Really?! It’s “The Walk” that causes alcoholism? I’d say more alcoholism is caused by overbearing uber-religious, repressed households than any amount of partying in the U.S. Alcoholics drink before work, not before football games.
3) You look down upon “designated walkers” but not on designated drivers? What’s the difference? People have realized that the students (and older people) who participate in “The Walk” are going to do it whether you approve or not, so they may as well try to make it as safe as possible. I bet you’re one of those people who think giving condoms out to high school kids is a bad idea because it promotes casual sex. THEY’RE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY. COME TO TERMS WITH IT AND MAKE IT S SAFE AS YOU CAN.
4) Why did you separate Christians from other non-drinkers? Do no Christians drink? Are Muslims or Jews allowed to come to your anti-drinking, anti-fun rally? Do you realize that just by putting that little line in your article you ruin your credibility for anyone who’s not a devout Christian, closed-minded, or under the age of 60?
5) Also, just as a point of clarification, the participants in “The Walk” aren’t kids. They are at least 21 years old and often much older. Referring to them as kids is degrading and misrepresentative. These are young (and sometimes not so young) adults. Old enough to drink, old enough to fight in Iraq, old enough to get married, and old enough to ignore you.
6) You cite the legal problems as costing the city tons of money. Arrests and tickets from people who are screwing around on the walk don’t cost the city money. They make the city money. Where do you think a fine for public intoxication goes? It goes to the city. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars ISU’s homecoming and “The Walk” bring to the local business of Terre Haute. The bars and clothing stores and whatnot all make money which then turns back into revenue for the city through purchases by the owners and employees of those establishments. Also, there’s tons of money the city collects in taxes off of all these sales. The Copper Bar gives more money back to your beloved city than your church does.
7) I can assure you that if you try to block people from entering the bars the morning of “The Walk” that the bartenders are not going to “appreciate support and interest in the welfare of the students.” You’d be taking money directly out of their pockets. Imagine how you’d feel if I came in and took all your bingo winnings.
In general, your small minded approach to ISU’s best (and only real) tradition is the reason that Terre Haute isn’t moving up in the world. Maybe if you wouldn’t have dropped out of ISU, you’d realize that. It’s the mindset that it is your job to correct the morality of people keeps your city stuck in the middle ages.
Sincerely,
Cody
ISU Graduate 2007
I’m not going to go over all the great things “The Walk” can do for the city. I wrote an article about it for ISU’s newspaper a couple of years ago (click here if you’re interested: http://www.indianastatesman.com/2.3880/two-statesman-staff-members-weigh-in-on-their-favorite-isu-traditions-1.454433). I just want Mrs. Creasy to come down off of her high horse a little bit and attempt to live in the real world for a few minutes. So, Mrs. Creasy, I have a big old middle finger salute to you and your bible thumping, morality police ways.
