Aggies are often asked, “UC Davis? What do you do there for fun?”
Regrettably, students can no longer brag to their friends about their Davis activity list‘s pièce de résistance – the Epic Quad Battle.
The Epic Quad Battle, a newly founded tradition in which masses of students gather on the Quad to battle it out with foam noodles, was originally meant as a simple end-of-the-year stress reliever.
The event has turned into something much more, as its popularity has undoubtedly increased this year. Despite an incident last year in which a student received a blow to the face and sustained severe injuries, an estimated 1,000 participants would have attended.
The university‘s decision to ban the event is justified; the very nature of the Epic Quad Battle is inherently unruly and uncontrollable. This, coupled with the unsettling fact that many attendees are not students but visitors from outside the UC Davis community, increases the chances for incidents to occur.
Some have suggested the event be moved to another campus venue or even off campus. However, relocating the Epic Quad Battle to anywhere except the Quad is simply preposterous – what‘s an Epic Quad Battle without the Quad?
It‘s a shame that a student tradition with so much potential had to end so abruptly. However, this unfortunate setback should not discourage students from looking into organizing alternative events to relieve stress at the end of the year. Perhaps an Epic Super Soaker Battle is in order.
