“Chucktown Unofficial” will be making its annual visit to Charleston on Saturday.

This is a day that many students look forward to because they can forget about their schoolwork, or at least try to, and hang out with their friends.

It means a day of drinking, partying and, sometimes, illegal activity.

We at The Daily Eastern News understand that this is a part of the college experience for some students here at Eastern, and we want people to have fun, but we encourage people to act responsibly.

This means knowing your limits when it comes to drinking. It also means taking the proper precautionary measures before rolling off of a roof in a shopping cart, because we all know that is going to happen.

For some people, this will be their first time celebrating Unofficial, and for some, it will be their last, so of course everyone is going to want to have a memorable experience. We are just here to remind you to be mindful of others, your surroundings and yourself.

Keep in mind the police will be patrolling all throughout Charleston to ensure people are safe, but they are also making sure no one is breaking the law, so remember: Don’t be stupid.

Don’t leave the properties with open alcohol, don’t litter, don’t leave your drinks unattended and don’t touch anyone else’s drink.

If you are traveling to Champaign-Urbana on Friday to celebrate Unofficial with students from the University of Illinois, remember to stay with your group and be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area.

We hope we do not have to remind people that drinking and driving is a terrible idea. Please do not even think about doing that.

Having a great time is the ultimate goal, but safety should be the ultimate priority.

After all, Eastern’s enrollment is lower than most of the Illinois state universities, so we would rather not lose any more students than we already have.

We hope everyone has the time of their lives and manages to stay out of trouble.

The Editorial Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].