by Ava Stringer ’28 on September 17, 2026
Opinion
It isn’t all Fun and Games.
Or is it? With the recent cancellation of Eaton Street events, I’ve heard nonstop discussions about, “What are we going to do? Campus is so boring. Maybe I’ll transfer.” I understand wanting something to do on a Saturday. But if the cancellation of a party is enough to make you question your entire college experience, I think everyone needs to touch some grass.
Darties are certainly a part of Saturdays here at Providence College. For some people, they can be fun. They can also become crowded, chaotic, and more about the people who show up because they heard there was a party than about PC students. Darties are often ruined by drunken adults, beer being poured from balconies, and grown men trying to hit on college girls. At that point, it becomes difficult to argue that everyone is simply having a good time.
Now what? The answer isn’t complicated: there are other things to do.
Providence has D1 sports games. It has events inspired by TV shows. It has trivia in McPhail’s, food trucks on Slavin Lawn, themed events, free food, prizes, and enough student organizations to make it difficult to claim there is nothing happening on campus. Student Engagement and Leadership, or SEAL, and the Board of Programmers, or BOP, regularly create events for students.
The difference is that these events are actually for us. They happen on our campus, involve students who go here, and give students an opportunity to meet people outside of the same group they see every weekend. They aren’t less fun because there is no red Solo cup involved.
I’m sure the last thing you want to do on a Friday is open Outlook and voluntarily read your college email. But it’s also the easiest way to stay in the loop. The PC Morning Mail comes out every Friday afternoon with a list of upcoming weekend events. There is also a student events calendar through PC Central, and the Friar Life Instagram regularly breaks down what is happening throughout the week and on weekends. SEAL also maintains an events calendar for campus programming.
College is four years. There are only so many mediocre party themes you can tolerate before you might as well try something else. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go out. There is also nothing wrong with not wanting to. Providence has more than enough happening on campus that neither should determine whether you think you are having the perfect college experience. Darties can be fun and games, but they aren’t everything.