Have we seen the start of a new tradition? On December 12 at around midnight, a group of 1,000-plus students flooded Clemons Library for a party phenomenon known as a flashmob. Music was blasted from a small boom box. For a few minutes, raucous dancing ensued, capped by a group rendition of “The Good Ole Song.”
|
For a few minutes during finals week, Clemons cramming turned into a crammed Clemons, and probably the best dance party in town. |
“There was a lot of discussion around the library earlier in the evening, so I’m sure [the library staff] caught wind of it,” says Kyle Stamper, an engineering grad student whose video of the event has surpassed 21,000 hits on YouTube.
Stamper got an invitation to the event the day prior. It was organized by someone anonymously, he says, and inspired by a similar event held at UNC Chapel Hill on December 9.
“We’re very flattered that the students chose the library,” says Charlotte Morford, UVA library’s director of communications. “The students were very respectful. They came, they danced, they left.” Stamper saw no campus police in the crowd, but Morford says they were on hand.
The mob did produce some casualties: A small table lost a leg, and a couple of lamps were broken by crowd surfers.
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
