Why Watchers?
“Wait, isn’t Cayuga Watchers the all-male acapella group?”
“Uh, no, those are the Cayuga’s Waiters…”
Explaining who the Cayuga Watcher’s are isn’t always easy, but I’m always willing to try. I’ve been telling anyone who will listen about Watchers since my freshman year, and the conversation seems to always go the same way.
“We go to parties anonymously, and the team works together to mediate situations through intervention techniques so that everyone stays safe and has fun!”
“You’re the ones wearing the sober monitor shirts?”
“No, we try to stay anonymous so we wear typical going out clothes.”
“And you’re sober the entire time? You never pregame?”
“No, the whole point is to have more pairs of eyes with sober judgement there!”
“But why would you want to do this?”
Ahhh, the why. For me, I’ve always been the Mom of the group. Whether I’m trying to keep the group together, holding someone’s hair back and rubbing their back when they get sick, giving that one friend a piggy back ride back to dorm, staying sober to drive people home, or telling off a boy that isn’t quite understanding the word “no.” While I love to have fun, I also love keeping my friends safe.
But what happens when no one is there to be Mom? More often than not it’s fine, but sometimes it’s not fine. Bad things can happen all too easily. I found Watchers and learned that I could watch out for my friends, but also all of my peers here at Cornell. Whether it be striking up conversation to distract someone from drinking, dancing with someone who looked a little uncomfortable, grabbing water for someone, or making the tough decisions as to when someone needs help, the Watchers are always looking out for everyone.
Cornell makes us work hard, so we all deserve to relax and have fun. We’re here to make sure that everyone is safe at the end of the night.
Oh, and the $10 an hour isn’t too bad either.
— Kelly Crandall