Euclid Avenue or Walnut Park. MayFest or SU Showcase. The debate is as pointless as Keystone or Natty Ice. Since October, Syracuse University students have thrown themselves into protests, emotional debates and bold policy changes. And while the SU community roars with student’s and faculty’s deeply held convictions for the outcome of April 30, I’m in disbelief that this is still an issue.

When it comes to MayFest or SU Showcase or Block Party, those who want to be studious will be and those who want to party will party. It seems the debate centers around two things: what to call this year’s festival, and where it will be. Of the former issue, I beg you all to think back to your intro English and textual studies class and remember the words of William Shakespeare: ‘Would that which we call a rose by any other name smell as sweet?’ Does that which we title our party by any other name possess such a plethora of red cups? Type whatever you want into your Facebook status or your Twitter feed because it makes absolutely no difference what we label next Friday.

The latter half of this debate, location, makes me lose respect for my fellow classmates. Hasn’t your time at SU taught you anything? You are a champion. You have walked miles through a sub-zero tundra, weaving past black ice and cracked sidewalks, all for a festive Saturday night. You have hiked to a pre-game, walked to a pre-bar, switched to a party, bar hopped through Marshall Street, stumbled to after-hours and trudged home — all in one night. April 30 is not a question of where you will drink, but how well you have mastered the skills of your weekend courses. There’s free beer, food and entertainment on Walnut and rowdy ‘traditionalists’ on Euclid. Man up. Attend both.

The time and energy spent on this event is not only wasteful for these reasons, but also because it takes away from the respectable aspects of college. The university offers all of us opportunities to learn and become involved in classes, clubs and community events. One afternoon of day drinking, regardless of how amazing it is, will not be a summation of our time spent at SU. Instead of protesting or boycotting or reorganizing a frivolous Friday, which most of us would probably spend drinking anyways, we should all devote a little more time to our academics and activities before the festivities start.

Because if you want to drink next Friday, the most meaningful part of your beer pong tournament or epic keg stand won’t be the street you did it on or the name you referred to the party by. If your idea of April 30 is an unforgettable booze-fest, you probably won’t remember where you did it. Celebrate ShmayFest wherever and however you want. Years from now, it won’t matter if you spent your Friday afternoon on a porch or in a park. The people you were with, the lasting friendships you celebrated, the feeling of communal happiness that comes when Syracuse has a sunny day — these are things worth caring about. Trivial details like name and location will be as forgettable as the brand of golden liquid in your cup.

Courtney Egelston is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears weekly and she can be reached at cbegelst@syr.edu.