It’s that time of semester again. Time to put aside studies, time to relax and time to take some time for ourselves. It’s time to get hopelessly, numbingly, and most importantly, responsibly, smashed (if you’re over 21, obviously). Yes, it is time for yet another W.I.L.D.

Everyone has either heard or experienced first-hand W.I.L.D. horror stories, generally to the tune of getting too drunk and requiring immediate Emergency Support Team attention. Thankfully, last spring’s W.I.L.D. saw a marked decline in the number of event-related accidents, a phenomenon remarked upon by multiple members of Washington University’s administration. In that sense, it was a historic W.I.L.D.—this was perhaps due in part to changing the event to Friday, a result of the previous W.I.L.D. having record sick cases, and a retooled alcohol policy (it’s provided at the concert, and BYOB is forbidden), both actions which were initially met with criticism from vocal members of the student body. It was a W.I.L.D. the safety of which will hopefully be emulated in semesters to come. It’s great that the student body is actually excited about the act this year, but it seems incongruous that rather than actively promoting safety this year, the administration and Team 31 are sending a subtle message that safety, while important, is strictly a one-dimensional problem easily resolved by continuing to ration beer.

The revised alcohol policy, at least, was due to a student-led effort—by Team 31—to increase the safety of W.I.LD., so it comes as some surprise to learn that this year, some potentially-dangerous actions have been taken on the part of Team 31 and other student organizations. Second Stage, for example, will not be a part of this year’s fall W.I.L.D. In previous years, it has acted as an alcohol-free pre-W.I.L.D. event that gave the day more of a festival feel, rather than simply an all-day booze fest. Its change of time and location last semester was credited by administrators and WUPD with helping to make the event as safe as it was. Late last month, the Student Union executive board voted unanimously against an additional concert on the grounds that the stage would have cost more than the artist performing on it—never mind that Student Union sits on a massive nest egg of unspent money that has been accumulating for years.

Additionally, the artist chosen to headline this W.I.L.D., Wolfgang Gartner, produces house music, a genre typically associated with relatively high ecstasy use at concerts. Certainly it’s not the case that Team 31 will be handing out illicit party favors or flyers claiming the event is strictly BYOE (bring your own ecstasy). However, bringing this artist is still a tacit approval of hallucinogenic drug culture. Ecstasy is far from difficult to find on Wash. U.’s campus for those who know where to look, and some students who wouldn’t otherwise do so might opt for something other than the standard drink-until-you-can’t to alter their minds. While the negative effects of ecstasy are relatively mild in comparison to other illegal drugs—some studies suggest that they can lead to a bad comedown and potentially lower serotonin levels after regular use over a prolonged period—some students who choose to take ecstasy might be unfamiliar with dosages or what the exact effects are.

Despite these factors, the fact that many of us have class on Friday means we can’t start drinking before noon (or later) and the revised alcohol policy will, hopefully, continue to reduce the amount of booze that gets distributed to underage students who don’t yet know their limits. If recent trends are any indicator and if we remember that it’s a bad idea to mix alcohol, which dehydrates you, and ecstasy, which dehydrates you even more, and dancing for hours in front of the stage, we’ll all come out the other end of the rabbit hole intact.