On Monday, Feb. 21, 2005, The Daily Cardinal editorial board issued a call to action. Because the scheduled date for the Mifflin Street Block Party fell on the eve of finals, the board advised, It is now up to the students who are most affected, those who live on Mifflin Street, to take responsibility and get the city in line with moving the party up a week to April 30.\ And so, the students mobilized.
""The Mifflin Street Community Cooperative always strived to have a political flavor at the block party."" said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. ""Since the co-op pulled out in the 1990s there has been no political flavor whatsoever, unless you want to talk about students standing up for their rights to have the party not be on thestudy day last year.""
In the 10 weeks preceding Mifflin, students emerged from political reclusion to fight for their Beastie Boy-given right to paaaaarty. The potential partying-studying conflict resonated with students and movements to change the date concluded in student victory.
The student-led campaign to move Mifflin to a more opportune date for binge drinking represented the most energetic and effective local activism seen on campus since, well, 1969. Unfortunately, motivation for Mifflin activism grew from students' desire to drink rather than their desire to achieve political justice, as a generation ago.
As the first recorded Mifflin Street block party, the 1969 bash inaugurated the event with more police-student confrontations than games of beer pong. What began as a street dance spurred by anti-Vietnam demonstrations nationwide ended in three days of violent riots.
Though some students participated in the party with a sole interest in music and drinks,
Mifflin arose from anti-war activism and had a clear political statement.
Despite the unfortunate outcome of the 1969 party, the event at least achieved something besides mass hangovers. The original party set a precedent for political activism on campus and serves as a relic of anti-war culture. The 2005 party protected the No. 1 party school precedent and serves as a relic of students' devotion to beer.
""Alcohol was always a huge, huge part of the party as was music; the two big things that are really a part of the party to this day,"" Verveer said. ""But students clearly stood up for their rights in the early years of standing up to the ‘man.'""
Affronts to the university's other, more positive titles—such as proposed limitations on stem cell research that could endanger the university's No. 1 research school ranking—went virtually unanswered by students.
Students seem bound to the culture and identity of partying to the fault of ignoring the university's less sexy reputations and history of political activism.
Because of the draft, students in 1969 had higher personal stakes in Vietnam than students in 2006 do in Iraq.
Imagine if President Bush reinstated the draft—surely this would incite activism beyond the 400 to 500 blocks of Mifflin Street. Students should take the opportunity this weekend accord the same relevance to their military peers through peaceful protests.
The 1973 Mifflin celebration marked the reformation of the block party's anarchic '69 reputation. The party raised funds for political, environmental and community causes through beer sales. Opposition to the enduring war in Vietnam motivated students to congregate peacefully, creating a politically charged but tempered environment current students should seek to emulate.
The 2005 Mifflin date debacle proceeded admirably, with police, students, administrators and city officials mitigating conflict to mutually beneficial ends. The Daily Cardinal completed a thorough, step-by-step assessment of the issue, devoting news coverage in over a dozen newspapers in April alone.
""I still think that the spirit of ‘Miffland' is around,"" Verveer said, ""even though it may not be as strong as it once was.""
Students need to resurrect the Miffland spirit of political activism. If they can mobilize the energy to fight for the right to drink, they can and should channel it toward restoring the anti-war precedent established in 1969.
Jill Klosterman is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Please send responses to
opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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