Students hold key to dry dorms
Campus Times
December 12, 1997
Imagine a party on campus in the dorms, complete with alcoholic beverages,
a huge selection of available narcotics and a large amount of food, for
the munchies of course.
In theory, this type of scene is never supposed to happen because the
University of La Verne has a system to keep the campus a dry one. The idea
is to use a resident assistant (R.A.) to keep an eye on those who live in
the dorms, and if an R.A. discovers residents drinking or doing drugs, it
is his/her job to notify Chris Freemen, area coordinator for the Office
of Housing and Residential Life, via a written behavioral referral. But
in reality, theories do not always go as planned.
The reality seems to have R.A.s reporting the guilty only when they
want to. Instead of each person, who is caught doing illegal acts, being
turned in, the guilty parties are treated on a case-by-case basis. So it
seems that people strung out on drugs or drunk out of their mind get away
with it when their parties are broken up. Because they feel like they can
get away with it and prove to over and over again, we must ask what the
point of the policy is.
President Stephen Morgan, in last week's Campus Times, said,
"When drinking is allowed in residence halls, the damage rate rises
considerably, more disagreements occur and more discipline problems occur."
If so, a look should be made into the policy and then to the root of the
problem.
Nothing is being changed to stop the problem of drugs and alcohol, as
it gains momentum and size as each incident is ignored. Nothing is really
done to students and they feel no respect for the rules and, as shown in
our latest story, few residents feel any fear of the consequences.
So instead of pointing the finger at the students and expecting R.A.s
to be police officers, isn't it about time that we try something new and
trust them to be responsible adults, especially after we see that the policy
is not working?
Alcohol is never going to go away, but it also has to be a controlled
part of socialization. The only people that can truly control alcohol and
drugs is the students themselves. No policy is going to do that.
Drugs and alcohol are always going to be issues here because that is
often the root of the problems both at the University and in the world.
How many fights would occur if the people involved were not under the influence?
And how many students would get better grades or have more time for class
without the mind altering substances in their lives?
Students have to realize this and it is up to them to make the choice
to treat drugs and alcohol responsibly. Only when they realize this will
the issues and problems of substance use and abuse go away.
