A misplaced sense of entitlement

I have read various reports in The Chronicle that Duke students still wish to attend Chapel Hill's Halloween celebration this year in spite of the fact that Chapel Hill has decided to downsize the celebration to be a more local event. The latest report is that Duke's student government may even hire buses to transport celebrants to Chapel Hill.

I am curious whether the student body has considered taking responsibility for their holiday festivities by organizing a Halloween celebration on the Duke campus or somewhere in Durham. It seems a more reasonable solution than crashing someone else's party and forcing another community to pick up a large tab for insuring the security of outsiders. What is the problem with having your own festivity? Lethargy? Laziness? Poverty of invention?

Entitlements seem to be much in the air these days. But I do not believe that outsiders are entitled to attend local celebrations in other communities unless they underwrite a fair share of the expense of providing those celebrations. How about a $25 to $50 per head cover charge? What would that do for your enthusiasm?

Graydon Ekdahl

Chapel Hill, NC