Prohibition Campus

[Aethian]

At one school I went to it was a dry campus and I was fine with that. We had to sign a form saying we would not bring alcohol on campus. I signed it and so did my roommate. While I was in class I was removed from the school because my roommate decided to sneak alcohol in. And when it was found, she claimed it was mine and that I was drunk almost all the time. Thankfully I was proved innocent when I called for a breath test...she blew a .1. How she was still standing I do NOT know. Of course I did have to get a new roommate after that.

So yes more power to dry campus's...there wasn't the loud parties in the dorm halls. There wasn't the bottles in the grass that seemed to be prevalent at another campus I was at. The smoking even seemed to be lower.


And really WHY would anyone need a beer to do a essay?

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

I understand what they are trying to do. They are trying to prevent the whole "I just turned 21 and so now that I'm legal I'm going to get fucked up" mentality.

What they do not realize is that in trying to prevent the "I'm legal" binge, they're making it worse.

We put such a tight grip on Alcohol and Minors and make it such a big deal by restricting it that when they finally can drink, they make it a status symbol that they now can drink.

Take a country like Germany on the other hand. There is no enforced drinking age, but you can not sell Beer, Wine or Cider to anyone under 16 and Spirits to anyone under 18. They are permitted to drink these beverages in public as minors as long as they are with their parents.

Home consumption is not controlled at all and is at the discretion of the parents.

And they have far fewer problems with drinking and driving (possibly due to their drinking and driving laws) and have fewer problems with the newly legal and drinking themselves into alcohol poisoning.

For them, drinking alcohol is not as special as it is for us. German children learn that alcohol is just something and not something special.

What people in America are forgetting is the lessons of Prohibition. The more you deny something, the more it is desired. If we could be allowed to do what the Germans do, then getting Blitzed at college would not be the goal in life. Drinking would occur, but in moderation and in the open.

[MadMike]

And really WHY would anyone need a beer to do a essay?

You don't need one, but it helps.

I kid, I kid...

We put such a tight grip on Alcohol and Minors and make it such a big deal by restricting it that when they finally can drink, they make it a status symbol that they now can drink.

Or when they're still illegal, and can't just get it anytime they want it, when they do get it they'll overdo it. I know I got smashed a lot more before I was 21 than after. Once I was 21, it was like, "Well, this isn't that much fun anymore." Don't get me wrong, I still drink, and once in awhile I still over do it, but not anything like I used to.

For them, drinking alcohol is not as special as it is for us. German children learn that alcohol is just something and not something special.

A girl from my high school Spanish class spent a summer in one of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America (I forget which one.) At the beginning of the next school year, she gave a presentation to the class about her visit. One thing she told us was that there was no drinking age, and that kids would often ride their bikes to the bar and have a drink. But it's not like here. People don't drink to get drunk there. It's regarded as "shameful", and it rarely happens.

[Greenday]

And really WHY would anyone need a beer to do a essay?

Clearly you've never taken a class called The Chemistry of Beer.

[Aethian]

Clearly you've never taken a class called The Chemistry of Beer.

Since there is something in most beers that makes me break out in hives and get violently ill....you would be correct.

But that still doesn't say WHY you need a beer to do a essay.

[HYHYBT]

...she blew a .1. How she was still standing I do NOT know.

Well, .1 isn't all that high. Until recently, it was the cutoff for DUI; anything at all lower and it was ok to drive, much less walk. And it's not much higher than the current .08.

And really WHY would anyone need a beer to do a essay?

Depends on the essay or class. Some require a lot of BSing, which many people find easier when somewhat drunk.

[AdminAssistant]

College isn't all about classes. Even during my busiest semesters I had down time. During my senior year, I was 21, why shouldn't I be allowed to relax with a drink? As I've said before, college kids *will* drink and isn't better for them to drink in the relative safety of a dorm room as opposed to a bar across town or a frat/house party where they'll be pressured to binge drink (and girls will be pressured to have sex)?

Dorms are noisy. This is a fact. Ear plugs are your friends.

[Greenday]

she blew a .1. How she was still standing I do NOT know.

0.1 BAC isn't high at all. At worst, I'd feel a very light buzz.

(and girls will be pressured to have sex)

What about all those girls who pressure guys into sex at sorority parties?

[Aethian]

0.1 BAC isn't high at all. At worst, I'd feel a very light buzz.

Yes but supposedly she had never drank before coming to school and this happened not even half way into first semester. That and she was always wobbly on her feet, even when I knew her to be stone cold sober.

[blas87]

Unfortunately, for a lot of college kids, drinking and partying starts to take precedence over studying and in some cases, going to class at all.

I'm only planning on going to a tech school, so thank the lord I don't have to worry about dorms or clubs or anything out of the ordinary.

Even if I'd gone the traditional route and gotten better grades and able to go to a Uni, I would never have lived in dorms. No way, no how. I'd stay with my parents or rent a home with pals before I'd ever live in a dorm. The local UW here requires all freshmen to live in the dorms, unless they rent out of student housing with other kids. FUCK that.

[AdminAssistant]

The local UW here requires all freshmen to live in the dorms, unless they rent out of student housing with other kids. FUCK that.

While making the dorms a requirement can be a pain, it really cuts down on the helicopter parenting. College students really shouldn't live with Mommy and Daddy unless there is *no* other alternative.

ETA: Re: Aethian - that happens to a lot of freshman. Parents are super oppressive, so they go crazy when they have a little bit of freedom.

ETA again: The "beer and circus" atmosphere is much more prevalent at flagship state schools and non-religious private schools. Smaller state schools aren't nearly as bad.

[blas87]

I am inclined to agree with you Admin, but I'm one of those people that would never survive in a dorm. Those things are the size of my bedroom, and have to share it with someone who I don't even know and would most likely end up being my polar opposite.

Oh what a nightmare it'd be. Although I'm also a big believer that the helicopter parenting goes beyond just still living at home while in school, it's the parents paying the kids' entire tuition and not encouraging them to get jobs while school is out for summer break or figure out finances and budget on their own.

[Tanasi]

I lived in a dorm during my university career. I like everyone that lived there knew going in that it was a dry campus. I seriously doubt there's anyone here that can honestly say they attend(ed) a school that suddenly went dry.
You all can cry, whine and bitch all you want but you knew what you were getting into.
While at uni I was a RA and later a dormatory director. It used to tickle to bust the kids that thought they were pulling the wool over my eyes. More than one kid volunteered to poor out their booze instead of gettting the LEOs involved and getting written up.

[Amanita]

To me, having to live in a dorm would be a deal-breaker for many reasons.
One, I NEED my space, quiet time, and privacy. Without them, I become a very unhappy and stressed out person indeed.
Two, I value my property- things have a habit of "taking a walk" in dorms.
Three, I am extremely modest when it comes to my body- I can't abide the idea of communal bathrooms and showers.
Four, I'm in my thirties- I can't stand rules written for kids who have never been on their own, and designed to cater to the lowest common denominator.
Dorms won't let me keep my weapons or martial arts gear, or some of my Pagan practice tools.* Dorms won't let me burn incense or candles to relax or meditate. And those are only some of the rules and restrictions.
Also, due to past bad experiences, I have serious qualms about strangers as roommates.

So if I decide to go back to school, it certainly won't be one which requires dorm living. Fuck that, I value my sanity too much.

*I'm sure some Pagans will tell me "Oh, but you don't NEED that sword or knife to cast the circle with, you can use a wand! You can even use your finger!" Thing is, I don't WANT to use my finger unless there is absolutely nothing else. And I have yet to find a wand that feels right. So it's the sword or the knife for me. That, and in my tradition, the blade is more than just a pretty circle casting implement, or a representation of an element, or male energy. It has a signifigance of its own that is not easily swapped out for a wand, a finger, or whatever other substitute.

[AdminAssistant]

Usually that rule exempts students with a family member in that city or non-traditional students (married and/or over 25), YMMV.