Alcohol is a basic cultural aspect of the college experience. During this semester, students will find themselves surrounded by this substance that they may have been told to avoid from day one.
It seems that some cultural aspects of college are hard to avoid, though. Is it even possible to avoid alcohol in college? Should students be told to avoid it?
Drinking in college has become romanticized as something that is key to experimenting and “finding ourselves.” Popular movies like “Neighbors” depict us doing a keg stand before we walk down the stage at graduation.
This just isn’t the case. This should not be a part of the college experience, and this is surely not the case at KSU.
The issue with alcohol is not that most students are drinking. Problems stem from overindulging, and intoxication can lead to other risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, driving under the influence and drug use.
Harvard University conducted a study on alcohol use in college, and reported that “students who drink at colleges that ban alcohol experience the same result of alcohol related problems as their peers from other colleges.” These risky behaviors can lead to students struggling in college.
Instead of discouraging alcohol consumption, KSU encourages students to engage in more healthy decisions when it comes to drinking alcohol. The university understands that students will drink, so they want them to be safer about it.
Telling students not to drink does not solve the problems caused by alcohol. It won’t help them in dangerous situations, such as if a friend gets alcohol poisoning or if they have been drinking and need to get home.
We need to teach students the skills they need to be safe and act responsibly in these situations. This means teaching them how to perform CPR, making sure everyone has contact info for campus police in their phones, and providing the resources needed to keep students away from a vehicle after consuming any alcohol.
We are already providing students with resource cards on how to calculate their blood alcohol concentration and who to call in the case of an alcohol emergency.
I look forward to seeing how KSU further advances its outreach to create a healthier and safer campus that encourages student growth and education through a safe and nurturing environment.
We are in college because we are ambitious. We have goals, and we have found that we need to graduate from college to get the experience and education that we need to make the change that we see needed in the world.
Our campus is doing well in making sure that we do not get caught up in society’s set college culture, but rather that we keep our minds set on growing and expanding our own knowledge, scholarship and engagement in the KSU community and beyond.
Keep your eyes on the prize, Owls!