Having campus access and the opportunity to create memories to cherish later became a dream of the student body once the pandemic hit. This dream did turn into reality, all thanks to the incredible Student Council that was elected this year. They tediously worked day and night to reach a consensus regarding the campus reopening with the university management. Was it, however, appropriate to take the work of the Student Council for granted? Even if returning to campus instills a semblance of normalcy, the actual reality is far from it. The novel coronavirus is still prevalent, perhaps stronger than ever, and ignoring the seriousness of the problem can significantly harm students’ standing. This is exactly what the recent khoka rave has done.
Following all regulations and receiving approval from the CCA, LUMS Dramaline set up a small stall at the Khoka on September 2nd to give the incoming batch a chance to get to know the society and as a brief orientation. As we are aware, the khoka would be incomplete without some music. And so, speakers were placed along with fairy lights and other beautiful decorations the society could think of. Dramaline’s EC members rigorously followed all SOPs, wore masks, kept sanitizers available, and sought to keep socially distance themselves while jamming with jubilant vibes. You must be thinking: if everything was done according to instructions, what went wrong? Why was the society criticized and blamed for the rave all of a sudden?
From our conversation with one of the EC members, Shafaq Jafri, we came to know how it all went downhill. The society concluded their event responsibly after following all of the appropriate and requires procedures, but they admit that not guarding the speakers carefully was their fault; it gave an opportunity for people to begin a rave. Later on, the members attempted to disperse the crowd, but people were “far from listening to anyone”, as reported by one of the OB members of Dramaline.
Not long after, the rave went viral, drawing a lot of criticism from the student body and targeting of students who behaved in such a wildly irresponsible manner. Under normal circumstances, the music of Abrar-ul-“Nach Haq’s Punjabi” pushes just about anyone to show off their killer moves, but it was insanity to allow yourself to be moved by it in the midst of a pandemic. Gathering around where a stall was set previously without masks, not listening to anyone, and dancing your heart out could cause several students to be expelled from LUMS once the management takes notice. Nothing of the sort has happened yet, but students should pay heed to following SOPs. We realize that everyone wants things to return back to normal, but violating SOPs will not help you get there. We’re all adults now, and we can’t tell each other how to act; now, what’s done is done. It is important that in this case, history should not be repeated for the sake of our fellow Luminites.