Some were flushed and unsure of their step. The aroma of beer was pungent and thick. The drinking began earlier in the day. Before noon, students wandered Charlottesville streets with beer and punch in hand. At one fraternity along the row of brick Greek houses along Rugby Road, the brothers had already broken out the beer, but they said that many fraternity members had agreed not to attempt the fifth - largely because of pressure from the university.
Tradition is mainly the reason people do it.
We have a reason to break tradition. O'Neill and several of his fraternity brothers said alumni send the wrong signal by recalling with nostalgia the days when they conquered the fourth-year fifth. People want to be part of the tradition. The parking lots surrounding Scott Stadium were teaming today with tailgating alumni and adult fans. A panel of students, professors and administrators recommended last winter that liquor be banned at tailgate parties, but university officials opposed the ban, which would have ended a practice cherished by alumni.