Study: 99% of Freshman Year Trauma Unearthed at the Feb Club First Toast

A new report from the Pew Research Center found that 99% of Penn seniors’ trauma from freshman year was unearthed at the Feb Club First Toast event last week.

Reasons participants cited for experiencing trauma included seeing freshman year hookups, roommates, and former friends they’ve avoided eye contact with over the past few years.

Veronica Modowsky (C ’19) had some of her freshman year trauma unearthed when she ran into her former crush and hallmate from the Quad, Jeremy. “It was so overwhelming to see Jeremy,” said Veronica.  “This feels like a fever dream full of my repressed freshman year drama, NOT a fun event that makes me want to donate to Seniors for the Penn Fund."

Xfinity Live is a large venue, but not large enough to allow Veronica to avoid him. She ran into him not once, but twice that evening. Nevertheless, she got her revenge.

“Afterward, I actually went to the top floor and began throwing tater tots at him from the balcony,” she reported. “That made me feel better."

“These findings are very surprising,” a researcher at Pew said. Looking across the past 10 years, researchers identified a steady, incremental rise in trauma each year. Could the class of 2020 unearth all 100% of their freshman year trauma at next year’s first toast?