College Drinking

[calvinroy96]

I went to my college orientation last week. I was really bothered with the tolerance this school has for underage drinking. I was informed by faculty that if students are going to drink, they shouldn't go off campus and that they really should stay on the campus to drink. They said if students get caught with alcohol by University PD, the students will face disciplinary actions from the University but will not face any criminal charges, pretty much a slap on the wrist. I know that every college has some kids who are doing to drink, but why in the world would you tell college students to stay on campus to drink alcohol? Shouldn't the students get into more trouble if caught?

 

[Josie]

Because these schools love their donations and headlines that lead to more donations and keeping the families happy so those donations keep rolling in lol. Going off campus and showing the rest of the community what they do, is bad for their rep. Students own the cities they live in. I used to watch them just destroy my home town while cops turned the other way and the school refused to acknowledge it. It would have been nice if they stayed on grounds. Anything to keep the money rolling in to both the city and the school. Students are a big "cha ching".

 

[Gabe]

Keeping it in house is easier an you may not get a police record. Behind closed doors RAs can check up on you, despite parties that still go on. If you get caught them the school has more leeway than the authorities. I remember in my day my friend having her fake ID taken off her at a club and people checking our ID all the time. It was easier to party in someones room who was over 21 (I was in a Junior and Senior dorm) and keep an eye out.

 

[JoanMcWench]

I think with time they realized if you can't beat 'em try & keep 'em a tad safer. All the rules & punishment in the world is not going to stop determined college kids from finding & consuming alcohol. At this point what they seem to be doing is trying to offer a safe environment. Kind of like that new rule concerning a teen can call the police & not get in trouble after drinking & in need of assistance. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[missbishi]

The college just wants to keep all incidents of drunkenness behind closed doors. They do not want newspaper headlines saying their students are drunk and bringing the university into disrepute. They wish to maintain an air of respectability and attract future students.

 

[Onionman]

This has been an issue since the dawn of time (or at least since alcohol and college co-existed). There is certainly more that can be done to make sure things aren't made worse for other college goers, and that people's health isn't permanently put at risk. But fundamentally it is still a part of growing up - learn your limits, learn self control and learn how to socially interact responsibly.

 

[Profit5500]

I went to my college orientation last week. I was really bothered with the tolerance this school has for underage drinking. I was informed by faculty that if students are going to drink, they shouldn't go off campus and that they really should stay on the campus to drink. They said if students get caught with alcohol by University PD, the students will face disciplinary actions from the University but will not face any criminal charges, pretty much a slap on the wrist. I know that every college has some kids who are doing to drink, but why in the world would you tell college students to stay on campus to drink alcohol? Shouldn't the students get into more trouble if caught?

Well I think that schools do not care about that the students safety. If they incorporate alcoholic drinks on campus then it is not surprising how these students would behave. It is something that the school should have looked into a while back but fail to since they care more about the cash flow they get from students.

 

[dyanmarie25]

That was really odd. They are allowing college students to drink on campus, but if ever these students get caught, they'll face some punishments? I don't really understand what this University is trying to do. Well, probably they just want these drinking cases to be private; they don't want the students carrying the University's name be charged with criminal cases, somehow protecting the reputation of the school.

 

[bala]

I think they are in the purview that they have restricted their battery limit.If drunk students are outside they might create a ruckus,but inside a campus,it all dies down within there.I have just lent a thought,don't know the exact scenario though.

 

[aparsons]

I honestly think that this problem arises with the high legal drinking age in the US. Where I leave, the legal drinking age is 19, so that people get their "binge faze" out early. With the drinking age being so high in many states, this prolongs this "binge faze" and creates a problem for students to study and focus. I don't think that the school should impose harsher punishments for students caught drinking, as long as they aren't making any more trouble. I don't think that giving someone a criminal record or fine is a good way of correcting their behavior. Individuals who want to drink, will drink, and at least the school is providing a safe place for those people to drink it. It is better than wandering the streets drunk.

 

[Shimus]

Every school has similar policies or issues even if they tote a "Zero Tolerance" policy around. College kids will drink. I live in a college town myself and I'd much rather get caught by town police than the college PD rent-a-cops because they're complete grade A-Hollywood-wannabe-cop douchebag stereotypes.

However, it is to keep their "status" up while keeping noisy scandals "down" that negatively effect college PR. Because faculty expects it (and full well they should ) at least they were attempting to prepare ahead in ORIENTATION of all things. That allows you to know the stance right off the bat instead of claiming ignorance won't work down the line either.

 

[Gabe]

College towns are strict, but they all know that students will find a way around this and find alcohol somehow, so keeping the age limit high doesn't really help the situation but makes it more secretive. In a way by the college acknowledging it happens shows that they are aware and better to have drunken teenagers they can deal with than local residents complaining.

 

[kana_marie]

Regardless of what the faculty tells the students, they're going to do what they want to do. If they leave campus it's typically more dangerous than staying in the dorms or wherever.

 

[dez97]

Because these schools love their donations and headlines that lead to more donations and keeping the families happy so those donations keep rolling in lol. Going off campus and showing the rest of the community what they do, is bad for their rep. Students own the cities they live in. I used to watch them just destroy my home town while cops turned the other way and the school refused to acknowledge it. It would have been nice if they stayed on grounds. Anything to keep the money rolling in to both the city and the school. Students are a big "cha ching".

I have to agree, that this is true. If schools can keep everything bad that their students do on the inside of the school where no one else will find out, then that's exactly what they will do. Because they don't want their big time investors to know that the kids future that their ivesting over 50,000 bucks in every year is a weekend drinker!.