Seniors keep TAMSAK tradition alive

*Editor’s Note: If participating in TAMSAK, be sure to drink responsibly and look out for your fellow community members. If you are of age, remember to stop at buzzed.*

It was 22 years ago that the CSB/SJU tradition of TAMSAK began.

TAMSAK stands for twenty-second annual mandatory senior appreciation kegger.

When the tradition began in the year 2000, the last month of school consisted of different houses and apartments getting a keg to share with their fellow seniors. The tradition has changed to be the last forty days of school and there are typically no more kegs.

Instead, houses usually provide a mixed alcoholic beverage or host at a local bar.

The parties each have a different theme. In the past, not each party had a theme, and themes were decided the day before so students couldn’t plan what they were wearing ahead of time.

Facebook groups of previous TAMSAK’s showcase what the ritual used to be. In previous years, one of the highlights of TAMSAK was a talent show, and a majority of parties had a stage set for student musicians.

In the 2010 TAMSAK Facebook group students organized a Pub Crawl. The schedule of the pub crawl was:

6:00-Brother Willie’s Pub 6:45-Take the Link to El Paso 7:00-El Paso (bowling, volleyball, wii) 8:00-The Legion 8:30-The Middy 9:00-The La 9:30-10:00-TAMSAK-The Church 11:00-11:30-Sal’s

El Paso was an important part of TAMSAK. El Paso was located where Kwik Trip is currently and was closed in 2015.

The sports bar and grill had bowling alleys, sand volleyball courts, pool tables and dart boards.

Today TAMSAK has changed to become a pregame ritual. Instead of kegs being tapped at 9 p.m., parties begin at 7 p.m. and eventually make their way to The La or Sal’s.

TAMSAK today is organized with a spreadsheet with all the locations, themes and drinks for seniors to plan around and prepare for.

A special feature of TAMSAK this year is the Instagram page friendswithbenniez run by CSB senior Annika Rzeszutek.

Rzeszutek was inspired by someone in the class of 2020 who took pictures with a digital camera and she decided to do it herself.

“It’s a super fun page to run, and it will be our own digital yearbook to look back on. I’ve been documenting our TAMSAK themes every day there,” Rzeszutek said.

CSB senior Cassandra Gronning has overall enjoyed the tradition.

“TAMSAK is a good way to celebrate the end of the year,” Gronning said.

She also sees the downsides of the TAMSAK setup.

“It doesn’t always include all seniors and it can be expensive to fund,” Gronning said.

This Saturday is Case Day, or what is formally known as Newman Day. Newman Day is inspired by a Paul Newman quote in which he references drinking a case of beer in 24 hours.

The tradition was started at Bates College in 1976 and made its way to CSB/SJU in 1999 according to a Record article published that year.

The 1999 article highlighted its controversy that is still prevelent today. The tradition continues to be an important day during TAMSAK, a senior tradition made the following year in 2000.