It’s that time of the year again—when you can drink in the daytime and feel like you go to a state school for a fleeting afternoon and evening.

WILD is an event that comes with abundant anticipation, and as midterms wind down, it’s a perfect moment for students to let loose. Even while making the day live up to its acronym, keep in mind the following guidelines for remaining a responsible human being:

1. Eat a big meal before drinking, and match your alcohol intake with water.

While some of you may be getting an earlier start on the drinking than others, make sure to eat significant meals before and during. Pace yourself with the beers and shots and consume the corresponding amount of water for every alcoholic drink you have.

2. Respect your resident advisers.

Yes, we know that you may regard RAs as the buzzkills breaking up parties and killing the vibe of your only true state-school day. But they are simply doing their job, which includes keeping you safe, and they hardly get to enjoy WILD themselves because of it. Don’t take your pre-games to the point where RAs deem punishment necessary.

3. Be a good neighbor.

You’ll probably wind up on Kingsbury or another off-campus community at some point for a pre-game. People live in those neighborhoods other than the upperclassmen hosting raucous parties. Enjoy the fun of the barbecuing and day-partying, but don’t pee on anyone’s lawn. In addition, keep in mind your neighbors live in the broader St. Louis community. If you go past your drinking limit and land in the emergency room of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, you are holding up care for patients who may have medical emergencies.

4. If you want to dance with someone, don’t be a creep.

WILD is not an excuse to grind your junk up against an unwilling participant. The excitement and hormones will be flaring, but ask before you get physical with someone.

5. Just because you may not remember what you did that night, someone else might.

You may spend most of your evening in Brookings Quadrangle waiting in the porta-potty line. You may not remember any music or even when Icona Pop enters onstage. The state of drunken euphoria, when surrounded by your friends and the University community, can be an unforgettable experience, even if the details are a bit fuzzy. But don’t take advantage of that feeling to bring emotional or physical harm to any other person. WILD is not an excuse to offend or violate a peer.

6. If you don’t plan to drink before WILD, you’re not alone.

The honest truth is that most people will be pre-gaming and showing up to WILD in an altered state. However, there is certainly no small population of students who are fine with alcohol not being part of their WILD experiences.

7. Take care of your friends.

People may go past their limits. If someone is in trouble, provide help. Take them to the Emergency Support Team if necessary. Remember whom you came with and try to keep track of them or at least know where they ended up.

8. Enjoy WILD and be safe.