In recent weeks of our police blotter, there has been an abundance of underage alcohol violations. This is not surprising for a college town, but what is surprising is that many of these citations were issued to minors under the age of 18, with multiple 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, and one underage issued to a child only 12 years old.
According to the Campus Police records, last Tuesday, a 15-year-old, Riley Bock, 18, Courtney Brennan, 18, Ryan Delea, 18, Winter Fondi, 18, Jade Kost, 18, Kendal Kuhns, 18, Michael Ravas, 18, Amber Schaffer, 18, Qadir Taylor, 18, and Sarah Webster, 18, were issued underage citations when police responded to a report of intoxicated individuals at Building D. The 15-year-old was transported to the police department until the parents came to pick the individual up.
Back in August, there was a 15-year-old male, two 14-year-old males and a 12-year-old female arrested for underage consumption after leaving a party at The Heights. Two people were transported to the hospital for treatment, one of which had to be treated in the ICU.
As a guiding voice to these children, we, as Slippery Rock University students, should not stand for this corruption at such a young age.
According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009, 19 percent of high school students in Pennsylvania drank alcohol before age 13 (for the first time other than a few sips). This is just above the national average found for 2013, 18.6 percent. Pennsylvania’s 2013 statistics have not yet been released.
This seems an absurdly high statistic considering that the legal drinking age is 21.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that among underage drinkers who were given, rather than purchased, alcohol, the most common source was an unrelated person age 21 or older.
It seems ridiculous that anyone should even need to say “Don’t bring your 12-year-old brother or sister to that party you’re going to at The Heights this weekend,” but, “Don’t bring your 12-year-old brother or sister to that party you’re going to at The Heights this weekend.”
There is really no acceptable excuse for having this happen, but, if for some reason you still think that’s a good idea, at the very least don’t let him or her get any alcohol from the people there. Look out for them not just because he or she could get caught, but because if you don’t you could potentially let their life be ruined.
To the party-goers that see this happening, say something. Do not be a passive bystander and let someone’s life be ruined by the influences around them.
No one is helping this problem by letting it happen. Even less acceptable are those that are making it worse by providing alcohol to minors.
Because these individuals were under the age of 18, their names are not public record and their record can be clean as adults, if they start making the right choices. We also don’t know all the details about who these people are getting alcohol from, but we know that it’s happening on campus, with Slippery Rock University students involved, and that needs to stop. Be a part of helping these misguided individuals, not getting them drunk.
