Kiss Off: Stanford Ditches Longtime Tradition
Health bulletin: Kissing spreads germs
By JESSICA GREENE
Updated 2:27 PM EDT, Fri, Sep 25, 2009
Stanford University is kissing a longtime tradition goodbye.
Full Moon on the Quad is when seniors kiss freshmen, or multiple freshmen, during the first full moon on the school year. But administrators are putting the brakes on it this year, calling it a, "recipe for disaster."
Why more so than in other years? Blame it on the swine ... flu, that is.
The school took a lesson from other colleges, which have seen a rise in the number of flu cases after social events. Officials said they are already seeing an increase in the number of students with flu symptoms and said it would be irresponsible to put other students at risk of the H1N1 virus.
Students have mixed reactions about the decision.
"I was definitely planning on showing up and not kissing a lot of freshman," senior Ed Schmerling joked, "because I’m a staff member obviously, but definitely ogling and leering at freshman girls," he joked.
Even though he supports their decision, Schmering wonders if there's some other reason the event was canceled.
"I'm not sure if it’s too different from the mono scare that happens every year and the administration is always looking for a good excuse to shut the whole thing down."
Students got an email announcing the news and asking them for their ideas about what to do in place of the Full Moon kiss-a-thon.
Maybe they should all kiss through surgical masks or just sit in a circle and hold hands -- as long as they take their waterless hand sanitizer along.
First Published: Sep 25, 2009 8:35 AM EDT on NBC Bay Area
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