Bryan McBournie | Staff Writer

3/29/02

As classes resumed on Monday, March 18, an angry outcry from RU students of Irish decent echoed through the campus. While there was no problem with classes beginning on a Monday, students protested returning to the campus on St. Patrick's Day, Sunday, March 17.

"It's our right of birth do get f*cked up beyond redemption on this holy day of the Irish," commented sophomore Jason McTaggert. The protesters cited the mass drunkeness in New York, Boston, and Chicago as reason for getting inebriated. "If they can puke in the streets, why can't we?" asked freshman Michael Quillan.

While it is certain that St. Patrick, the saint who brought Catholicism and whiskey to the Irish people, was indeed honored by the holiday, the question stood whether RU was insulting Irish Catholics arcoss the nation by requiring sober students to return to campus on this holiday. In major cities of high Irish-American population, the streets were crowded with parades, drunks, and a large amount of puke. "Personally, I don't see how it could be any different from other days here at Radford, other than the beer is green, and I'm as Irish as they get," said senior Enrico Pillachinio.

When asked for a comment, President Covington provided a wave and a smile, sending the message that everything was going to be all right.