Talk of alcohol policy changes leaves students with mixed feelings

Jill Corbo
Managing Editor


Turning 21 comes with a great deal of freedom, but also a great deal of responsibility. I believe that students who are of legal age to consume alcohol should be allowed to. It is usually a fear from parents and administration that students will become distracted from their school work if they drink often. If a 21 year old student cannot handle both school work and a social life, they will learn the hard way and face the consequences.
The first SGA meeting of the academic year had an open forum about a new policy. This proposal has the main idea that alcohol would be allowed on campus for students age 21 and above. The policy is not finalized, but when it is, it still has to be approved by the administration, then the President’s Committee and finally by Wingate University Trustees. This likely will not be a change that the campus will see immediately or even this semester. If alcohol becomes allowed on campus, something still must be done about the negative impact of drinking on campus.
“Although I have strong opinions against alcohol and do not drink, I believe that it’s a 21 year olds right to have possession of alcohol. I think that our rights are the most important issue and we need to protect that,” said junior Mike Shaw.
Even though students know we have a dry campus, it clearly doesn’t stop most students who want to drink from drinking. Regardless of the rules, I think that there needs to be a solution for the results of students’ drinking.
It is very rare that you walk through the Jefferson apartment buildings on a weekend and never see a beer can on the ground. The bushes have empty cans and bottles and the bottoms of the staircases are also a common place for trash to be found. There were a few suggestions for how to get rid of or minimize garbage on campus, but there are no set means to do so.
A new alcohol policy would make having alcohol much less of a sneaky thing. Some students currently walk around with backpacks on a Friday or Saturday night. Let’s be honest. The library closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays. More often than not alcohol is what fills those backpacks. Other students know this and joke about it when they see a student walking around on a weekend night with a full backpack. Open containers still would not be allowed, but the fact that students of legal age would be able to carry alcohol from their car to their apartment without having to cover it up is key.
The policy in the making also does not state how much alcohol a student would be allowed to have in his or her possession. Also, it does not contain information about what happens if 21 year olds have alcohol in their apartment, but live with someone who is under 21. This policy would make beer, wine and wine coolers acceptable, but not liquor. I feel that if alcohol is going to be allowed on campus, it should not matter what kind of alcohol it is. Everybody has a different taste in drinks, so why should someone who does not like beer or wine not be able to legally drink on campus? I understand that there is more alcohol in liquor, but I think either all alcohol needs to be allowed or no alcohol needs to be allowed.
With the SGA policy that is in the works, it would allow students to tailgate at football games as long as they do not have any open containers. I think this would bring more Wingate students out to the games. Not saying that people would come just because they would be allowed to drink, it would provide a fun and social atmosphere.
Some family and other fans already cook out before the games, but a more open tailgating policy would bring even more people to the stadium. Being able to tailgate would also mean that the local police would be able to go around and check ID’s if they want to. At the meeting it was stated that Wingate University would not be checking ID’s at tailgating events.
All in all, the idea of the new alcohol policy for the campus is a good idea. I think giving the students greater responsibilities will provide the students with more of a “real world” atmosphere. Allowing the students to suffer greater consequences for their poor choices will have a greater impact on them than simply getting an alcohol violation from a resident director. The policy has great potential, but the grey areas need to be filled in.