Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508230008
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: WS-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JESSIE HENSLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Suddenly, a single hoarse voice cries out against academic exasperation. A raging cacophony joins in, and for the next 10 minutes or so, no one will get any studying done. Stereos are turned up to 11, toilet paper streams from windows, and residents empty out onto the quad to dance, scream and otherwise vent their angst. More often than not, an ``I can be louder than you'' contest erupts between the women of Shanks Hall and the men of Thomas Hall.
You can set your clock to it - the Midnight Scream has been a long-standing tradition at Virginia Tech, especially on Upper Quad, where the buildings are closer together.
Semester after semester, resident hall advisers brace themselves during finals week for the inevitable onslaught of unrestrained aggravation.
``[Students] are under a great deal of stress,'' said Gerry Kowalski, director of residence education at Virginia Tech.
Kowalski said the Midnight Scream is ``something that's generated from student interest ... a spontaneous activity that took on a life of its own.''
Who knows how it started, but it seems only natural. A fitting salute to a hard semester's work.
The Midnight Scream has been going on for so long, students have started putting their imaginations to work to make it less status quo.
In 1993, for example, five women residents ran outside Monteith Hall wearing not much more than Saran Wrap, according to Nicole Popovich, a senior in communication studies.
Other students recall cars parked on sidewalks, adding their blaring stereos to the night.
The Midnight Scream has proven so effective as a stress reliever, students in other quads had to get in on it. Residents of Pritchard Hall, the largest male hall on the Tech campus, have earned a reputation for participating in some of the more dangerous midnight activities.
The hall is shaped in such a way that many windows face inwards, toward a courtyard affectionately referred to as ``The Pit.'' Furniture, light bulbs, loud music and uncouth remarks are thrown around The Pit regularly, but especially during finals week.
``One time some guys threw a Coke machine out of the window,'' said Dan de Moraes, a senior in technology education.
Usually though, the Midnight Scream is a fun and harmless way for residents to join together and let off some steam, Hokie-style. And as the minutes past midnight grow larger in number, the students once again face the harsh reality of a 7:45 final the next morning, their voices raspy, their waning adrenaline restored.
At that point, the occasional diehard scream is met with rude threats.
by CNB