‘Flash rave’ ends in library evacuation
April 29, 2009 by News Staff · 29 Comments
Video courtesy of Kyle Hagan
A typical night of studying for most students in the W. T. Young Library turned into a “flash rave†ending with the library’s evacuation after someone pulled a fire alarm.
At least 300 students ran into the lobby of the W.T. Young Library at 9 p.m. Wednesday. After about five minutes of chanting and dancing in the lobby, the rave dispersed.
No one was hurt or arrested, according to UK Police. The identity of the person who pulled the fire alarm is unknown.
As of 11 p.m., two videos had been  uploaded to YouTube of the flash rave. One video poster said 1,500 people were in the foyer of the library.
Political science senior Laura Nixon said news of the flash rave spread through a Facebook group inviting students to the event. Nixon did not receive an invitation, although friends had, and did not participate.
— Britney McIntosh and Kelly Wiley
The alarm was pulled by security officials at the library in hopes that it would make people leave. It was not pulled by students as everyone continues to report.
While students are trying to be productive, and prepare for upcoming exams, those people decided to make it a hassle for those that are doing right.
I’m sure everyone participating thought it was really awesome. You all must have smiles on your faces today. Everyone who was in the library to actually study for a test the next morning is probably sleep deprived and irritated. For all of you inconsiderate people who probaby just squeak through college and fly by the seat of your pants: Next time you think of participating in a library raid, imagine that you are the ones who are about to pull an all nighter. Think about how precious every hour is. C’mon and respect others, raid someplace else.
Boy, glad they passed that dead week bill in student government.
What is the point of dead week again? Why did students whine about its necessity?
Dead week = no tests.
It lasted for 5 minutes. Lighten up, Grr.
Don’t assume all of the people who participated “just squeak through college.” Myself and many others who did are good students, involved in lots of campus activities, who work just as hard, but realize you cant take life or school so seriously. Once your done with college these are the things you will remember, not what you got on that one test or paper. It didnt last that long and I can assure you that you wasted more study time complaining about it once it happened than you lost because of the event itself.
What many of you undergraduate students fail to understand is that you are not the only ones who exist at this university. Law students have 2 full weeks of exams and your “dead week” is week 1 of a schedule of finals which constitute 100% of our grades for the entire semester. I don’t try to interrupt your partying by bringing books and attempting to quiet you down while you party during dead week because you have nothing else to do, so i don’t appreciate you interrupting my studying at a place that is designated for quiet.
To the comment about not “taking life or school so seriously”: for us school IS life right now. We have gotten to the point in our lives where we are going to school for our careers and not because it is just something that is expected of us after high school. Please don’t look down on those of us who take it seriously out of necessity and please think about those of us whose entire careers depend on the grades we are getting right now. Some of us WILL remember the grades we got on these tests for the rest of our lives… i hope that making your happy memories was worth compromising others of theirs.
Well said angrygradstudent. Some of us do enjoy life most of the time, but when we go to the library we’re there to be serious. Just because we don’t share the undergrad party mentality doesn’t mean we need it imposed on us. What you did was just inconsiderate. You can’t deny that. You’re party lasted 5 minutes only because the alarm cut it short, not to mention the library was shut down for waaayy more than 5 minutes and that was your fault. What did you expect. Next time make memories over a riot worth making, not one based solely on inconveniencing hard workers.
Some of you all need to lighten up. As said, it only lasted about 8 minutes. It’s not as if some of you book worms do not take a break the whole night. It was a break for you all to chant up your UK spirit and relieve from stress for a little bit. I did participate in the rave, as it will be one of my greatest memories at UK. There were no intentions to hurt or make anybody angry, it was just a fun event. I mean, how else could have the library been so loud with chants from the ravers and those who were standing around on the floors that were supposedly studying as well? We all knew it would be broken up eventually anyway. So quit wasting your time complaining about it, but make it a good memory, tell your kids about it, and laugh when you think about it.
If you’re so concerned about losing study time, might I suggest getting off of the kernel website and reading a book. You say you had an exam the next day? Well if you were that worried about losing a little study time, it sounds as though you didn’t take the time to adequately prepare yourself in advance. I participated in the rave and I could afford to lose this time in my studying because I have been preparing for my finals and exams for quite some time. This rave provided a much needed mental break and relaxation with my peers. The grad students don’t want to be looked down upon? Don’t look down upon the undergrads either and don’t judge us simply because we haven’t reached graduate school as of yet.
This is great! Nice work!
The students of this university are laughable at best. I understand you are only in college once, but if more of you all really looked at the issues instead of chanting a new basketball coach’s name who could care less about the university’s problems (which are numerous) or you all’s, then you would see how tasteless this was. I don’t care that this was done in Willie T…it shouldn’t have been done period. This is a bad representation of the University’s so called students..grow up
Who says we don’t care about the larger issues? This rave represented taking a break from the serious-ness of being a student and the stresses of life. It lasted for a few minutes and gave a lifetime of memories for those involved. If we should all spend more or our time worrying about “bigger issues” aren’t you wasting your time commenting on this site when you could be out sticking it to the man?
This rave represented a break for some, and an inconvenience for others. Why don’t you let those who are studying decide when they need a break? It shouldn’t be you’re freedome to decide. And if we’re talking about representation, might I suggest that the library represents the last safe haven for peace of mind in this congested world. Please don’t rape the library.
Lighten up. I was there to study, and I was getting pretty frustrated, but when I saw everyone gathering, I knew something was up. I laughed so much at the dancing and the costumes that by the time the cops showed up I was in a much better mood. I went home and studied until they re-opened the library a few hours later. College isn’t all seriousness, there will be time to be responsible and boring once we’re old and have jobs. Harmless pranks can never be over-rated!
I pulled the fire alarm!
You all who are being negative to need to get over it. I know a ton of law students who participated, a ton of graduate students who participated, and can guarantee they all make higher grades than those of you complaining. I’m sorry you are against school spirit, pride, and everything else UK stands for. And for the excuse about tests the following morning argument, yeah I had one and got an A so clearly your theory is tremendously flawed. If that hour meant so much to you to get a good grade you are obviously a terrible student to begin with.
There are 13 other libraries on campus. If studying is a major priority, you should probably use one of them instead of William T. TO: angrygradstudent, The law school has its own private library that was open at this time.
So this constitutes a lifetime memory for those who participated? To that I have this response: You have to be some of the lamest people on the planet. What are you going to tell your kids? I imagine it will be something like this, “well son, a bunch of us rioted like idiots and repeated chants that everyone has heard umpteen times. After that, we did such awesome things as, well, chanted some more. But the best part was that I got a picture of someone taking a picture of someone taking a picture of someone recording a video…we did great things.”
So the two main complaints from students this year: (1) the library hours and (2) dead week. In one swoop, these individuals ruined any chance of anyone in power having any concern over both of those issues.
To Mister Darby, in response to the student issues, library hours were more for budget saving concerns such as all the electricity that is ran 24/7. It wasn’t the students fault. Besides, most students study elsewhere otherwise you would have cramped library like depicted in the video. Dead week was the issue of students being so busy, but it was those in particular who complained. Many students don’t have to worry about getting things done right away. It is certain departments on UK’s campus that cramp up schedules for students to get work done during that week. And I will tell my kids this was a great event. It was full of fun and closeness to each other. This is what brings us all as one and one is great. It’s pointless to waste time on talking about it as you will certainly just receieve negative feedback from those who were up for it. Enjoy life, don’t criticize everything that occurs. Nobody was injured and was just all fun. Some of you who act a bit mature for your age need to “grow up” and let loose. You live life once, so live it like it’s your last. You chose your career choice to be stressed out to be one of America’s wealthiest, no criticism, but don’t complain about it. I have had a hard schedule my few past years, but I still spare time to let loose here and there, and I proudly have a 3.7 in engineering. :)
Yes, this did bring a lifetime of memories where we can tell our kids some of the fun times we had in college. It was fun to get together with a group of my peers and do something unexpected that will surely have students talking for quite some time. As previously stated, if studying is the reason you are upset, there are plenty of other libraries that were open. If you were that desperate to have this study time, you would have been dedicated enough to walk to anyone one of the other libraries.
As someone pointed out earlier, there are more than a few other libraries around UK’s campus that were open during this time. If you are THAT serious about your studies (even if you didn’t hear about the SCHEDULED rave) then I am not sure why you weren’t at another library in the first place. Every student that has been to the William T. Young library knows that it is no where near as quiet as a library should be on ANY night. I go there to study nearly every night and it is extremely loud, but I have trained myself to block it out. If you cannot deal with the noise, choose another library. Also, consider living a little. Although I am not yet in graduate school, I have a 4.0 as well as big aspirations to attend a Top 10 law school. I put school above all else and was also at the library studying at the time of the rave. I considered a nice and enjoyable break. If that lost 30 minutes of studying hindered your exam performance, perhaps you need to prepare a bit earlier.
I think it was great! You won’t remember the exam you had to take the next day but you sure as hell will remember the rave. I did my share of hell raising while in school and got in loads of trouble for it. Those qualities that made me an independent thinker versus a professor’s parrot are what serve me best today. Go ahead and make your ‘A’ on that exam – I’ll probably need someone to recite their latin while they’re emptying my trash someday. I’m surprised that UK didn’t have the entire senior class arrested! Great work!
As a Latin-speaking trashperson, I resemble that remark.
IT WAS A FUN 5 MINUTES, and I hope it happens again.
If the intelligent student body at MIT can put a police cruiser on top of a campus building as a prank, then the basketball nuts at UK can flash rave a library and yell Calipari chants.
Lighten up, people.
To address comments left by others about the fire alarm being pulled I want to quell any rumors that the security at the library pulled the alarm. I know many people do not like the security at the library (in fact I can’t stand them either) but I do not want the blame for that to fall on them. I am positive someone else pulled the alarm as I had to lead the firefighters to the pulled switch so that they could “unlock” it and turn off the alarm system.
ewww Watch me! HOT TUB! GOTTA GET IN THE TUB! TUBS TOO HOT! OWWW! HOT TUB!