Like it or not, alcohol is most definitely a part of the college experience. Even if one doesn’t drink, others are around who do, and it’s hard to avoid it. Slippery Rock may be a dry campus, but its status as such does little to prevent its students from indulging. People either sneak booze onto school property or they simply go elsewhere to drink and then come back to their dorms intoxicated.
Drinking in the dorms is frowned upon, but may be a safer alternative for some. If students who are 21 years of age or older wish to drink in the rooms they pay for, then I believe that they should be allowed. It saves those people the hassle of securing a designated driver or driving themselves home from the bar or a party after they have been drinking all night. It’s simply safer.
I understand the concern of allowing alcohol in the dorms and residence halls because some fear that underage students would be introduced to drinking that way. Sorry to break it to you, but students are already at a risk of being introduced to alcohol simply by being college students. Parties don’t discriminate by age; an underage student can easily get into a party and get drunk.
Not to mention, parties can also potentially be venues for illegal drug activity and fights. Allowing alcohol in the rooms minimizes that risk for some because the environment would not be there on campus. Granted, there is the worry that drunk people could potentially start fights in the dorms and break things, but people don’t have to get drunk in their rooms in order for that to happen. Drunk students can easily find their way from a party and trash their rooms.
I’m not expecting to change policy, or anyone’s mind for that matter. It’s just that I believe allowing drinking in the dorms will be a safer alternative for some.
