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ABOUT THE QUICK TAKE Every Friday, the Quick Take columnists will offer their views on an issue of significance to American University. Notable members of the campus community will also be invited to contribute to this feature. Suggestions for topics and other ideas from readers are welcome and encouraged, so please submit comments to edpage@theeagleonline.com. |
American University has taken steps to limit underage drinking during Welcome Week and beyond. Now the Inter-Fraternity Council has taken the step of postponing all social fraternity activities except chapter meetings until further notice. Is this the right step to take in order to help prevent underage drinking and the subsequent consequences? The Quick Take weighs in.
Maddie Ecker
AU needs to enforce the "dry" campus
Pranay Ahluwalia
Public safety and fraternities should work together
Robert Brockmeijer
Students will learn, eventually
AU needs to enforce the "dry" campus
By Maddie Ecker
Most freshmen go to college with one overwhelming expectation: that there will be parties and that they will be plentiful. AU has a dry campus policy that states, “alcohol abuse will not be tolerated under any circumstances.” While the consumption of alcohol still occurs on our campus, it is just done in secret and when uncovered results in consequence.
Yet, students and fraternities can walk away with no more than a simple slap on the wrist the first couple of times they are caught with alcohol or other drugs. It is not until individuals or fraternities abuse AU’s alcohol and drug policies so blatantly and numerously that the university has to take stricter measures, say, for instance, by revoking recognition as a fraternity or removing them from the school. But no worries, the University dances around the subject until they are forced to act.
Fraternities are held in high regard due to their philanthropic events and overall charitable goals. However, this year in particular, AU security cracked down on fraternity parties during Welcome Week. Despite the University’s attempt to stamp out frat parties, there was usually something going on each night.
In fact, despite AU’s seemingly strict policy against alcohol abuse, almost every weekend since I moved in, there seems to have been more than one transport per night. It is not uncommon to hear the wail of sirens pulling up to your dorm on a Friday, Saturday and as of this weekend even a Sunday night – rushing another heavily intoxicated student to safety.
I would think because of AU’s policy against alcohol abuse, it would be rare to come across any alcohol on campus, least of all watch as numerous students are carried out on stretchers. However, AU’s policies seem to have the opposite effect of what they are trying to accomplish. Students feel that when in possession of alcohol they must guzzle it down as quickly as possible for fear of being discovered with it. Thus, the multiple transports and failed “dry campus” system.
Does AU’s alcohol ban work? From the number of transports I counted just last weekend alone, I would say no. By setting boundaries about alcohol, AU is basically asking for students to overstep those boundaries. While the consumption of alcohol is illegal for those under 21 years of age, the flagrant abuse of alcohol on a college campus will most certainly not stop simply because the campus is supposed to be a “dry” one, especially if the students know they can breach AU’s policies and walk away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Maddie Ecker is a freshman in the School of Communication.
Public safety and fraternities should work together
By Pranay Ahluwalia
There have been multiple nights during which I’ve seen hundreds of freshmen emerging from the Letts-Anderson Quad being led by a couple of fraternity brothers. Of course, a Public Safety vehicle often trails them. This situation essentially describes what occurred most nights during Welcome Week. This definitely describes the night of Aug. 21, when, as The Eagle reported, “hundreds of freshman [were caught] waiting behind the Washington College of Law for rides to a Tau Kappa Epsilon party.” In the aftermath of these events, the Inter-Fraternity Council postponed all social fraternity activities. But is this really the solution?
Thus far, Public Safety’s role has been limited to “the guys that try to prevent freshmen from partying.” In the aftermath of the moratorium of fraternity activities, I doubt that perception of Public Safety is going to change in the eyes of the average freshman anytime soon and this does not serve the interests of any of the parties involved: students, fraternities or the administration.
Public Safety’s objective is to ensure that students remain safe, even if they are partying. Public Safety needs to cooperate with fraternities. Public Safety should ensure that fraternities guarantee to give rides to and from parties and that you don’t have intoxicated freshmen walking around in unfamiliar areas at 3 a.m. in the morning.
If Public Safety tries to prevent freshmen from partying, frats and freshmen will eventually figure out a way to circumvent that, and this will just create a fairly hostile relationship between both parties. However, if they facilitate these parties by cooperating with fraternities, freshmen would be more likely to approach Public Safety when their friends might be in a situation that might require their involvement.
With Public Safety’s involvement and by cooperating with IFC, I believe that a policy of “safe partying” could be applied at AU. By encouraging cooperation between the administration, Public Safety and the Intra-Fraternity Council, AU should be able to create an atmosphere in which students don’t hesitate to call Public Safety when they’re in trouble. Of course, the long-term objectives would involve other elements, but this would surely be a start.
Pranay Ahluwalia is a freshman in the School of International Service.
Students will learn, eventually
By Robert Brockmeijer
Fraternities and sororities are a tradition at many universities, yet not everyone is fond of them. The beauty of Greek life truly is in the eyes of the “beer holders.” I think a fair trade regarding partying should be attainable. AU is concerned about underage drinking, a very valid concern, and is therefore seriously cracking down on frat parties.
As long as someone is under the age of 21, it is illegal for them to drink in the United States. For that reason, the administration should not let under-aged students join fraternities and sororities. I think people should realize that the administration has to be strict due to these liability issues.
As long as the University can be held accountable for anything that happens to students, they are in the right to crack down on any suspicious activity that may involve drinking. The last thing anyone wants is for a freshman to drink too much and go past the “pint” of no return.
It’s not only the school administration that suffers from the excess amount of drinking; so do the students, even those not involved in any frat or sorority. If I have an 8:55 a.m. class and want to get my sleep, the last thing I want is to hear a bunch of drunk students coming back to their room around 4 a.m. yelling about how much they love their fraternity or how much they’ve bonded with their sorority sisters.
There comes a point in time when kids have to grow up and learn from their mistakes. Everyone has to learn that there is a fine line between having a few drinks for fun and running in your underwear outside screaming “I’m Batman!” to everyone around you. The only fair way is to let students be the adults they are and let them make their own decisions. I do not in any way condemn fraternities and sororities. They are fine as long as they do not negatively affect the school, the community or anyone else who chooses not to join one. Honestly, I just really hope people don’t start showing up to their classes drunk. I know that my mathematics teacher hates it when I drink and “derive.”
Robert Brockmeijer is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.
