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500 Freshmen 'Riot' in the Yard, But They Stay on Paved Paths

By John G. Short

Sporadic anarchy broke out spontaneously in the Yard at midnight last night, reaching physical- but not metaphysical- levels of action. It was a TV newscast- watchers' kind of revolt carried out by freshmen who had thought about their alienation but never really experienced it.

Approximately 500 freshmen ran around the yard hooting and chanting slogans like, "Rule of reason/out of season." Even the violence was directed against their own numbers (instead of institutions), as water bombs looped into clusters of amazed bystanders.

The freshmen confined their movement to the paved paths that cut diagonally, horizontally, vertically, and oppressively across the green grass of the Yard.

After twenty minutes, from 200 to 250 members of the group poured out of the north gate of the Yard and ran up to Radcliffe, where they milled around outside Briggs, Moors, and finally Eliot Halls, chanting, "Cliffies Need Sex" and "Statutory Rape." At this point, many girls were in their midst and others came out to talk. However, only a few boys entered conversation, and not one was seen to touch a girl.

Between 50 and 100 boys then invaded Eliot Hall only to be driven out by cries of "Fuck you, get out of here," as sleepy boyfriends stood drowsily in the corridors.

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