In the 2010 hit “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry, the pop singer describes her wild Friday night by saying, “It’s a blacked-out blur, but I’m pretty sure it ruled.” However, the infamous DePauw Black Friday did not rule for everybody.
After the change from Black Monday to Black Friday last year after the option was proposed in 2014, there has been much speculation as to whether the transition was good, bad or made any difference in the safety of the Greek population after their admittance of new members.
The transition continued this past Friday with many fraternity houses throwing parties then instead of the Monday following bid weekend, as it was in prior years.
Many DePauw students prefer Black Monday to Black Friday because it is said to be a de-stresser from the drudgery of recruitment. Many students also see Black Monday as a great bonding experience with their new brothers and sisters. Caitlin Muller, a sophomore, explains,
“Black Monday would have been really fun because everyone would have just gotten their bids, but no one would’ve showed up to class on Tuesday. So I suppose Black Friday is the most viable option.”
Angela Neely, the director of Public Safety at DePauw, stresses the problematic language with the stigma surrounding the “black” part of “Black Friday”. The term alludes to an encouragement of having to “black out” on that specific night.
Blackouts are a phenomenon caused by a significant intake of alcohol in a short period of time. They lead to short and long term memory loss, inducing a complete inability to recall the past. This usually occurs in individuals who binge drink, a group that is mainly college students.