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Bad Press, Good Fox Day

This year, Fox Day was hosted at New Smyrna Beach instead of Cocoa Beach because Cocoa Beach authorities were only willing to allow Rollins students on their beach if city officials received 60-days notice ahead of time and if Rollins paid special event fees and paid in advance for on-site police and paramedics.

Student Government Association and President Duncan decided that revealing the date that early would take away from the spirit of Fox Day, so they turned to New Smyrna for help.

All seemed well for the students who ventured to the beach April 6, with reports that it was probably one of the tamest Fox Days in recent history.

However, that did not stop the local media from running a few news segments regarding the students’ behavior on the beach.

According to WESH News, the beach patrol gave out between 15 and 20 citations because of alcohol on the beach. The beach has a zero tolerance policy regarding alcohol.

“I think the media exaggerated,” said Stephanie Marquez ’14. “They were just on our case and they really shouldn’t have been there.”

Jenn Stull ’12 agreed that the media overplayed the drama on Smyrna. “I think it was a little overkill. Sure, some students were drinking on the beach, but I doubt what we showed them was any worse than what they saw during spring break.”

So, will the behavior of students this year cause yet another relocation for future Fox Days? Not according to New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer. He welcomes Rollins back to New Smyrna next year as long as there is “the same level of cooperation and communication with each of the organizations involved.”

Of course, Barringer and the rest of the New Smyrna officials were apprehensive about hosting Fox Day. “As city leaders, we are concerned about all events taking place in the city. We strive to maintain a safe environment for all of our residents and visitors.”

Thankfully, Barringer and New Smyrna have no plans to impose regulations for future Fox Days, so it seems for now that New Smyrna will stand as the Fox Day beach for next year.

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