""If you guys are going to drink alcohol in a fun, responsible manner... I say go for it."" A recent UW-Madison graduate made this statement to thousands of freshmen last fall at the Class of 2009 welcome rally.
This statement seemed to make sense, for as long as students safely drink alcohol like the majority of college students do, why should such behavior be forbidden? Chancellor John Wiley affirmed the alumni's remark soon afterward when he took the microphone and said, ""Believe it or not, I do not disagree with what [he] just said.""
In fall 2005, freshmen were overjoyed to hear UW-Madison administrators understood that the majority of college students, especially at a school with such a rampant party scene, would drink alcohol. Freshmen also felt comforted that University Housing focused more on those who commit dangerous acts while intoxicated, rather than others who merely follow the social norm. Three semesters into college, it is obvious that the policy announced at the welcome rally is not the reality.
After living in the dorms for one year, University Housing has proved less than generous, to say the least, when it comes to punishing students for drinking. In fact, punishment is not limited to drinking. It is preposterous that residents can be punished just for being in a dorm room that happens to have empty beer cans in the garbage.
Certainly, there ought to be restrictions in the dorms when it comes to drinking, for if University Housing did not set rules there would be keggers on every floor which, of course, cannot be allowed.
The restriction that punishes students for socializing with fellow residents who might have ""empties"" in their waste baskets hints that students should cut off any friendship with residents who may possess such a minimal incrimination. This is ridiculous at a school where most students drink for fun, as UW-Madison annually ranks in the Princeton Review's top five party schools.
Therefore, UW-Madison directly tells its residents to shy away from socializing with the majority of the students. This regulation prompts the same question among nearly all students in housing: What kind of college kid goes into a friend's room, sees empty beer cans in the garbage, and feels compelled to leave? And if a student did do this, what would the majority of fellow residents think? This could lead to anti-social behavior, and, in turn, depression.
Similar consequences would occur if students followed another piece of University Housing advice. Last year, a housing employee advised students to keep cell phones off on weekends. This was the adviser's solution to avoiding situations no more serious than being in a room with empties.
Imagine what a student's social life would consist of without a way of communicating, just for the sake of dodging disciplinary problems with University Housing. Disciplinary probation, or worse, suspension or expulsion from housing, is an enormous price to pay, even if it means sacrificing friends, life outside of the classroom, and, oh yeah, hopes of having any type of fun with someone for four years.
Given that students can be kicked out of housing and placed on probation for three violations (and this includes just being in a room with empties), it appears that students must choose between having a normal, enjoyable social life or getting kicked out of University Housing.
As mentioned earlier, of course there have to be exceptions. When kids become violent or near death from drinking, the university should deal with such situations. But on a campus where the student union serves beer, it would seem that university staff would be more quick to counsel kids on how to drink responsibly rather than preaching abstinence.
Recently, a freshman living in the dorms went to detox after blacking out at a bar and then vanishing from her friends for several hours. She blew a considerably low BAC of 0.05, yet does not remember anything that happened.
University Housing should support this girl every step of the way since it seems quite apparent that someone may have drugged her drink, but instead focuses on deciding her punishment. What kind of lesson is UW-Madison teaching?
Now is the time for University Housing to question its alcohol policy before further jeopardizing the well-being of its students.
