Sarah Borys
SC Staff Writer

Many students spend four years in college between the ages of about 18 to 22. With a legal drinking age of 21, it would mean that most of a student’s college career should be alcohol free.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is a branch of the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Health, reports that four out of every five college students consume alcohol.

Reports also show that each year, alcohol abuse results in 1,845 deaths of college students age 18 to 24 with 97,000 college students in the same age range becoming victims of sexual assault or date rape.

About 25 percent of students have dealt with the academic consequences of drinking alcohol in excess – like falling behind in schoolwork and receiving poor grades.

The PASSHE school system is comprised of Bloomsburg, California University of PA, Cheyney, Clarion, ESU, Edinboro, Indiana University of PA, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester. All 14 PASSHE schools identify themselves as dry campuses.

ESU’s 2014-2016 Student Handbook states, “The consumption, possession, distribution, transfer, use, sale or abuse, or being present with knowledge of alcoholic beverages in any form on all ESU owned or leased properties including, but not limited to, residence halls, athletic fields or any ESU sponsored activity or program, whether on or off campus, is prohibited.”

When walking through the hall or sitting in a classroom a few minutes before the professor arrives, one cannot help but overhear stories about parties and drinking.

If we really are a dry campus, why are these events still happening? Whether or not a campus is dry, there is still the possibility of alcohol consumption, especially among the 21 and over crowd.

For students like myself who live off-campus in a house of their own and are over 21, going to a dry campus does not mean a whole lot.

If we choose to indulge in alcohol beverages at home, it is our business. It also means relatively little when a student goes home for the weekend. A dry campus does not mean a dry town or a dry lifestyle.

Although the idea of a dry campus might sound good when you think about how much alcohol abuse can negatively affect a young adult’s life, it is almost foolish to believe that every single person on campus abides by this policy.

But in light of the past few semesters with events like Barstool around, ESU should certainly stay a dry campus.

Email Sara at:
sborys@live.esu.edu