As graduation moves closer and closer, the JMU tradition of the Senior Campus Crawl has been a large part of some much needed entertainment during the stressful weekend that comes right before finals.

Since freshman orientation, I have heard it time and time again from upperclassmen that I need to "enjoy being a freshman" and that when I am a senior I am going to want to be a freshman all over again. And after being in some upper-level classes with seniors that are graduating in just a few weeks, I can honestly say that the thought of them not being here next year breaks my heart. And if it breaks my heart to see them go, I can't even begin to imagine how much it must hurt them to leave the place that gave them the best (and most fun) 4 years of their lives.

So when I heard about the campus crawl, I was intrigued.

So what is the campus crawl? It's the way JMU seniors get drunk and celebrate their past experiences at JMU by taking shots at some of the biggest landmarks on campus. These places include the Jimmy Madison statue, your freshman year dorm room, and of course the quad.

Now lots of people took Yik Yak, Facebook, and Twitter by storm, complaining about how "trashing the quad" and being too loud in freshman dorms were not the right ways to celebrate graduation. But as a senior what else would you want to do on your last weekend as a Duke?

When I think back to graduating high school, just a year ago, I remember all the good times I had at school dances, football games, and sliding down a slip-and-slide and ruining the grass in the courtyard. Each of those locations on my high school campus means something special to me, and I know that similar locations in Harrisonburg mean the world to JMU seniors too.

As I sat on the 4th floor of the East Campus Library on Friday night, I was entertained twice by groups of seniors coming in to drink in the place that they spent all-nighters studying for exams and writing papers. They were paying homage to the places that led them to success, graduation, and a future after they receive their diploma. As they passed around bottles of Fireball and shotgunned beers while standing on the library tables, they wished us luck on finals. One guy came over to us and told us how this was his favorite place to study, and that he wanted to give us his senior luck on exams because JMU has been the best experience of his life.

In my opinion, though it may be rowdy and disruptive, the JMU Senior Campus Crawl is like a drunk flashback reel of your college experience as a Duke. And as a senior, what else could you ask for then one last hurrah at your favorite place, with your favorite people?

So all I ask of you is that the next year when you see the seniors crawling through campus, don't hate. Look forward to your crawl. Because it might be the best way to finish out the best 4 years of your life.