March 3, 2006

New alcohol policy: get mad

By PAUL RUTTER
rutterp@marietta.edu

There’s been a lot of discussion during the past two weeks about the administration’s proposal for a new alcohol policy. An article printed in the Feb. 16 edition of the Marcolian fueled much of this debate.

It’s easy to get mad at the administration, which is considering a policy that is more hostile to alcohol on the campus. The administration is an easy target to blame.

But let’s take a breather and step back for a moment. After all, the administration is only reacting to a problem--a problem backed up by observations, but also by data. According to statistics collected in 2004, a high number of Marietta College students base their social activities largely on alcohol. Along with this behavior goes all of the inherent risks involved with being intoxicated.

The administration feels it is their responsibility to act with a new and stricter policy to ensure the safety and well-being of the students. Don’t get angry at it. Students at this college have given the administration more than enough cause for action.

If you’re going to be angry, get mad at your neighbor who relieves herself in the bushes behind Parsons. Get mad at your roommate who throws up on the way back from the bar. Get mad at your friend who is arrrested for public intoxication.
If you’re an athlete, Greek, or a freshmen you should be angrier. Across the country, you’ve been identified as “high risk” for alcohol abuse. Get mad at your teammate who drinks so much he misses class the next morning. Get mad at your sisters and brothers who can’t remember what they did last night. Get mad at your hall mates who are abusing the privilege of being able to attend college.

And if you drink responsibly, then you should be the angriest. Life might get a lot harder for you just because some of your peers don’t know how to behave around alcohol.

Frankly, I don’t know if the administration’s new approach will be successful. It is an uphill battle to change any behavior that has become engrained in the culture of a college. They have identified a real problem and are trying, successfully or not, to fix it.

I’m a believer in each person self-policing their own behavior, and I don’t think administration should get involved in our personal lives. But some members of this campus community have done a great job of convincing the college that we can’t act responsibly around alcohol. And maybe with some of us, they’re right. So get mad. Get mad at yourself…

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Paul Rutter is a 22 year old senior majoring in International Leadership Studies. His opinion is his own and does not represent that of the Marcolian or the other editors. If you’d like to praise him, or respectfully disagree (while still praising him of course), send the Marcolian a letter, at marc@marietta.edu.