The death of an Ohio State undergraduate participating in the "traditional" jump into Mirror Lake during the week before the football game against the University of Michigan has the university vowing to ban the event henceforth.
Mirror Lake is not a lake; it is a shallow, pond-like pool with a brick, stone and concrete bottom. And the "tradition" of the jump dates only to 1990, becoming immensely popular among undergraduates within the last dozen or so years.
I was puzzled by this "tradition" when I returned to teach at Ohio State in 1998. I grew up here in Columbus, and my parents, one brother and both grandfathers were alumni. I'd never heard of such a thing because, of course, it wasn't taking place when I was growing up or when my brother was a student.
The university has made attempts in recent years to control the event, though the attempts have met with derision and defiance by a fair number of students. And, generally, these students have consumed alcoholic beverages when they make the plunge, making them even harder to control or reason with.
I'm not certain the university's attempt to ban the event next year will meet with universal success, but I hope students will reflect on what happened this year — especially the disturbing scenes of partying while paramedics were trying to save a life — and realize that this alcohol-fueled event is not a harmless "tradition."