When I was searching for colleges and told people that I was considering UMass Amherst, usually their first reaction was, "That place is a party college."
I only now know how true it is.
Every Saturday, people are getting drunk, stumbling about, passing out, throwing up. Either that or they're smoking weed. Occasionally I can smell pot smoke coming in my window, which, in my opinion, isn't as bad as cigarette smoke. But that doesn't mean I'd smoke the shit.
Recently I was asked, "Are you sober?" "Yeah." "That's a problem." And they ask me why I don't drink. My response? "I only drink quality beer." Seeing as how most college parties have crappy canned beer like Budweiser or Miller Lite, that excuse keeps me covered. If ever I stumble on a party where someone has microbrewed beer, I'll need to find an alternative excuse.
So UMass Amherst is notorious for drinking. But we also have another thing that not just we at UMass, but many Massachusetts college campuses are notorious for: Red Sox fans.
Two saturdays ago, the Red Sox had beaten the Yankees. I was sitting at my computer doing I-can't-remember-what, when my friends came into my room and said, "There's a riot going on." What? On the other side of the building, in the Southwest quad, I could see a small gathering of people chanting "YANKEES SUCK!" Not much of a riot, I thought. Then I noticed the police. Two cops on horseback were moving towards the crowd. The crowd gave way to the horses and continued chanting. Then about seven or eight cops in riot gear, some carrying riot clubs, some carrying stun guns, one leading an attack dog on a leash, advanced on the crowd. The crowd dissipated.
I asked Z, my RA, about the riot. He said it was nothing. If this were a Red Sox-Yankees game during the ALCS, you wouldn't be able to see the ground, there would be so many people. If the Red Sox were in the World Series, things would get destroyed and cars turned over.
Seeing as how I'd have a safe vantagepoint from the 15th floor, such a thing would make pretty good entertainment. So, in closing...GO SOX!