You can’t stop the wind and you can’t stop college students from partying. Guilford College, like my parents, fails to grasp half of this statement. Many upperclassmen reminisce about those sunny days when it felt like the entire student body bonded by the lake with beers in hand; and, although last year’s Serendipity rocked my world, – my phone slipped out of my jean’s back pocket as I crowd surfed – I still hear stories of how much better Guilford used to be.

So, when I got an e-mail last spring that told me that Guilford public safety had no control over the Hodgin’s Retreat apartments, it felt a little bit like the universe saying, “Don’t worry. I got you.”

As a first-year on a Hodgin’s-less campus last year, I felt like I was at boarding school. Quiet hours at 1 a.m. killed any on-campus parties. And, at off-campus parties, I often did not know anybody besides my immediate friends and walking back to Milner in the cold was bitter at night’s end. I needed the two types of parties to blend.

Hodgin’s solved all of those problems. And more.

The divide between athletes and non-athletes will always exist. But, due to Hodgin’s diverse living community and close proximity to campus, I saw lacrosse players with arms around Greenleaf regulars. I saw super-seniors laughing with sophomores, and I saw groups of Binford and Milner residents hanging out in the same place, a rarity last year.

For a few hours every weekend, Hodgin’s turned into the community that combined all of our values.

The reality is that partying brings us together. We sing songs with strangers, and clap people on the shoulder that we don’t even like. It’s an outlet for the release of our youthful exuberance, and Hodgins gave us the freedom to let it all out.

The administration is probably nodding their heads right now, thinking, “Thank you, Izak, for proving our point.” The freedom of Hodgins scares them, and I don’t blame them. In a lot of ways, they feel accountable for us, so a partying sanctuary like Hodgin’s is their worst nightmare.

Hodgin’s becoming a part of Guilford’s campus is because of the need for more on-campus housing and its close location. Police visits to Hodgin’s and Guilford’s reputation in the community have also played a role in this decision.

However, the administration has excluded the student body’s opinion in this decision. Do they know what Hodgin’s means to some of us? Do they care?

If I could take the reaction of every student I’ve spoken to and warp it into a single sound bite, it would sound like a class of kindergartners being denied recess.

We all know what the change means. It means either staying in your dorm or walking in the cold to a party that might be good. And, it means more drunk drivers.

So, next year we have to go back to a more segregated school again. The lacrosse team will party with each other, and you will party with your friends, and I will party with mine. And we will all be a little less happy.