When someone insists that you’re going to mess up a situation, what do you do? Curse them out while going ahead and doing exactly what they predicted you would? Or do you prove them wrong?

This Bar Crawl, let’s prove everyone wrong.

University administrators have made it no secret that they don’t approve of Bar Crawl (see Page 1). Fortunately, they can’t stop it. Unfortunately, they seem set to make it as difficult as possible for students who want to participate in the day of inebriated debauchery to celebrate the end of finals, and for many, graduation.

We know we can’t really complain that city police department is planning on enforcing open-container laws. Sure, it sucks that we can’t wander the streets drink in hand, but it is the law, after all.

We also can’t really complain that the University has basically called in state liquor authorities to intimidate bar owners who might have allowed underage students into their establishments on Bar Crawl. Once again, the law is the law, and we know from personal experience how hard it is to fight City Hall.

Sure, the easy solution would be to write an editorial whining about how ethically questionable it is for the University to take unnecessary steps to ensure students get in legal trouble on Bar Crawl, and perhaps bring up that age-old question about just how far the University’s influence should extend off campus.

But we’re not going to do that. Instead of crying into our beer-filled mugs as the cop writes us a ticket for drinking in public, why don’t we just shrug our drunken shoulders and show the University and the city that we can have a good time and still play by the rules?

So we can’t drink in the street ‘ we’ll just behave like the adults we’re soon to be and drink inside the bars instead! We don’t have to make drunken messes of ourselves and Downtown Binghamton by leaking various bodily fluids onto the streets, smashing things, fighting each other and generally running amok. Most everyone at this University is capable of having a good and still very debauched time without being a complete menace to society. And if you’re not, stay home.

Of course, there’s always a bright side, and in this situation it’s Bearcat Day.

From what we hear (mere speculation of course!), the mini street fair was originally planned as an alternative to Bar Crawl in hopes that it would deter students from drinking. Luckily, planners realize that at best the event, which will feature free food and live music on a stretch of Court Street, will serve as an entertaining break in the day’s regularly scheduled programming.

So why not take a break from bar hopping and stop at the Bearcat Day festivities for a little food and street fair fun? And if you’re not into the bar scene, you can still enjoy the day’s events with your friends and the pub crawlers at Bearcat Day.

The way we see it, showing the University and the city that we can behave is a win-win situation. Few will be arrested, ticketed or charged judicially, there’s free food, and maybe by next year they’ll actually trust us enough not to quietly call in for reinforcements from on high.