Life After Curfew Wild antics behind late night dorm life A t the outset of the school year, my new roommate and I had a serious discussion. I took the initiative, letting her know that I like to abide by Benjamin Franklin's advice, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Only I'm willing to settle for twothirds of the reward, so I try not to take the "early to rise" part too literally. The point was, I needed my sleep, and I wanted her to know from the start that I intended to be in bed by midnight every night. My declaration was accepted with an unexpectedly positive response. She, too, believed in seven hours of sleep each night and didn't want to become the typical college student who went around in a trance half the day. Our hearts and minds in agreement, we shook hands to solemnize our noble intentions. Little did we dream what our futures held in store. Students who have sat through six hours of classes plus chapel, attended club meetings, participated in intramural sports, spent time in a practice room or art studio, and have spent some quality goof-off time during the course of a day should be tired by the time curfew arrives. It just makes sense. But college students are victims of a baffling phenomenon which I call "curfew compulsion." They go to their rooms tired and with blissful visions of themselves sound asleep on their pillows and suddenly the compulsion overcomes them. They feel a sudden burst of energy, and they are transformed. The word logic no longer holds meaning for them. My roommate and I were no exception to this phenomenon. The first week of school we put our resolution on hold, realizing that we needed to become acquainted with our neighbors, and accepting the fact that most of them weren't in their rooms until curfew. The next week we were forced to stay up late, catching up on the homework we'd missed by socializing too much the week before. By the third week, we were so full of new experiences to talk about, we stayed up past midnight just talking to each other. Finally, after pledge week, my roommate and I resigned ourselves to the fact that getting to bed by midnight was an unrealistic fantasy. Accepting this fact made life much richer. I delved full-force into the wonderful world of life after curfew, and discovered that although curfew, to some may signal the end of the day, to others it actually signals the beginning of a whole new existence. The curfew compulsion manifests itself in many different forms, and very few people are immune to its effects. It exhibits itself in the kitchen where girls will spend hours baking cookies for special friends. It can likewise be found in the dorm room where even more girls have succombed to the succulence of their culinary successes and are engaging in the ever-popular "pigout party." The compulsion doesn't always result in negative physical effects, however. I've found that it is not uncommon in my dorm to see girls jogging through the hallways at 1:00 in the morning. A friend in another dorm reported that in her neck of the woods, there is even an avid aftercurfew bicycler! Well, I haven't been to bed before one o'clock yet, except for one night after an all-nighter. And with no intended disrespect to Ben Franklin, I can't tell that either my health or my economic status has been severely affected. As far as becoming wise goes - I guess my success in that depends on who is defining wisdom. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't trade my adventures in the wild world of life after curfew for anything. (Except maybe one night with eight hours of sleep?) 4 - Sheila Underwood Did you know that ... Kim McGuire and friends congregate on a bed to talk over the day 's events. The late night talks that occur throughout the dorms are probably the most popular after curfew events. -photo by Kelly Holaday. Yes Mom, we do study! Thressea Harrison, a senior from Cloverdale, Indiana, demonstrates how to study - only after everything else has stopped. - photo by Kelly Holaday. 22 Life After Curfew
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