WSN does not condone the practice of underage drinking or illegal activities.

One of NYU’s greatest responsibilities is to keep us safe, yet some of our current housing policies regarding the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages do the exact opposite. Students who are guilty of underage alcohol consumption not only receive a write-up that stays on their housing record, but they also get sanctions imposed upon them, including attending a mandatory meeting and writing a reflective essay. If they accumulate too many write-ups, they may be expelled from residential housing. It might seem counterintuitive at first as to why this policy is lacking. After all, shouldn’t harsh punishments prevent underage students from consuming alcohol? The answer is no.

Students who desire to drink will do so regardless of the rules in place. Rather than quit drinking, students think of ways they can drink without getting caught. This mindset ultimately leads to unsafe drinking practices such as pregaming and the use of fake-IDs because of the fear of punishments

Bates College, a liberal arts school in Maine, has a different approach to its drinking policy. Due to the school’s belief that students will drink no matter what, students are allowed to drink in dorms, as long as there is no hard liquor. If they are caught breaking this rule, they are given a strike and if a student receives 3 strikes, he or she must attend a disciplinary meeting. If NYU were to adopt a more lenient and understanding policy like Bates’, it would foster an environment where students do not have to sacrifice their safety out of fear of punishment when they drink.

In most American universities, the answer to underage drinking has an easy answer for the average student — stop drinking in dorms. Students at most American universities can drink at fraternity houses or in friends’ off-campus houses or apartments. However, our small Greek life presence combined with the fact that most underclassmen reside in NYU residence halls means that neither of these traditional solutions applies to the average NYU student. This leads to them in engaging in radically unsafe drinking practices such as pregaming, and more importantly, the use of fake IDs to get into bars over the fear of getting caught in their dorms. NYU is essentially pushing students to participate in unsafe drinking habits due to its failure to recognize the nature of many underage college students’ activities. By implementing more practical solutions and alternative options for NYU students, the potential hazard of underage drinking would improve significantly. This would lead students who choose to drink to do so safely during their college years.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them. Email Michael Ellis at [email protected].