Allow alcohol on college campuses
By age 18 we are all considered adults. We can drop out of high school without parental consent. We can get married, or get tattoos, join the army, move into an apartment, etc., all without parental consent.
College is a route that some “adults” choose to take. We are choosing to pay for school, and we even choose to pay to live on the campus in a dorm. When you pay for a place to stay, especially over the age of 21, it feels juvenile to sneak alcohol in your room just to have something as innocent as having a glass of wine with dinner.
Allegheny.edu says, “Allegheny College considers all of its members- faculty, staff, and students- to be mature persons and, accordingly, the decision to use alcohol legally and responsibly is an individual one.”
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This school sees their resident students as young, smart and ambitious adults who are residing on their premises and respect that real world laws apply to them.
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Allegheny.edu explains, “The College disclaims any intention to assume duties to protect its students from their own abuse of alcohol.”
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This college acknowledge the students are adults and therefore they can make their own lifestyle decisions. And just like out in the real world, public intoxication is prohibited.
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Referring back to the site, Allegheny.edu, their rules include, “In accordance with state law, students under the age of 21 are not permitted to possess, transport, and/or consume alcohol. Alcohol is permitted only in rooms/houses in which at least one person living in the room/house is of the legal drinking age. All visitors must also adhere to these requirements. Students are responsible for making sure that their guests abide by the college’s alcohol policy. Open containers, carriers, or cups of alcohol are strictly prohibited outside of residential rooms/houses or approved registered events.”
This also creates safety for the students old enough to drink. They can drink in the comfort of their own room. This will cut down on drinking while driving, and students will not have to travels around an unsafe city (because no place is truly safe), and drink and lose control in front of strangers in a bar. That’s where alot of impaired students get sexually assaulted, kidnapped, etc. It would be a lot safer to drink in your room where you can lock your door.
Allegheny College is a private college. Their graduation rate is higher than ours. Let’s take a peek at another public school like Penn State Behrend.
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Wisconsin-Madison is a “wet” public school versus ours, a “dry” public school. Their graduation rate is higher than both our school and Allegheny. Their graduation rate is equal to Ohio State University’s graduation rate. My point is alcohol has no affect on academics. Students have access to alcohol, so the students have a choice whether alcohol gets in the way of school work or not.
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As said on the Dailynebrasken.com, “For University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduates, its how hard you hit the books that determines how hard you can hit the infamous Wisconsin wet campus party scene on the weekends. For a wet campus, Wisconsin is no . when it comes to students making grades Monday through Friday. Considered a “Public Ivy”.
Allowing students to drink responsibly makes it feel like a safer environment, and “encourages students to seek help, rather than run for fear of punishment,” according to torrancememorial.org. As adults we should learn how to control our own lives. This is not prison, camp, etc., this is a home to many adults who deserve the same freedoms as if they were paying for their own apartments.
