The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Library feels Raynor Rave aftershock

Finals-weary students sang and danced to the speakers blasting on the second floor balcony, and the library literally shook in the commotion of the second annual Raynor Rave. Exam flashcards fell through the air like confetti, and some much-needed fun was had by all. But after the students returned to their books and the Raynor Rave dissipated almost as quickly as it had started, the aftermath of cramming so many exuberant people into a library set in.

In addition to some small disturbances during the rave, it was discovered that a window had been broken in the basement of Raynor Library. The window was broken because it was directly below an area where a large number of people were jumping during the rave, according to event organizers. The first floor flexed under the weight of the crowd to the point in which the window shattered, they said.

Ryan Glazier, a junior in the College of Health Sciences and Raynor Rave organizer, said he regretted the incident.

“Personally, the broken window was a huge disappointment for me,” he said. “We had figured out what we thought would be every possible scenario for something to go wrong on the first floor and tried to plan accordingly, so we never expected a broken window in the basement of all places.”

“While we don’t think it got out of control, any damage is automatically going to be considered way too rowdy,” Glazier said.

Another rave organizer, Bryan Miguel, a junior in the College of Communication, echoed Glazier’s statements.

“The rowdy behavior is always going to be a part of any rave,” Miguel said. “None of us can fully control the crowd — we can only influence and hope that the students follow suit.”

Both Glazier and Miguel expressed “disappointment” that the accident happened, but were glad no one got hurt.

Glazier stressed there are no plans to cancel a future finals week rave and stated that the event organizers would be meeting with library and school staff in advance to plan the next rave. They are “hopeful” that staff members will be understanding of the situation, and work with them to avoid such accidents in the future, he said.

If the rave could no longer be hosted at Raynor Library, Glazier and the other organizers would attempt to find another venue to hold the rave, rather than canceling it.

“I think that a lot of students look forward to the rave as a chance to go wild in an otherwise monotonous finals week, and we don’t want to take that away from the students,” he said.

Janice Welburn, Dean of Libraries, still supports the rave, despite the incident of the broken window.

“I think the rave went well,” she said, “There was glass broken, but it was minor. There was no disruption, no one was injured, and the glass was cleaned up immediately.”

As for the future of the rave, Welburn takes a positive stance.

“I think that it will need a larger venue, but the students (at this year’s rave) helped pick up afterwards, and we have no complaints.”

Story continues below advertisement
View Comments (1)
More to Discover

Comments (1)

All Marquette Wire Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • D

    Don DraperJan 25, 2011 at 1:04 am

    This is why Raynor should have been built larger to begin with. Look at the lawn between Raynor and Cudahy.

    Reply