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How Dry is the Campus?
by Christopher Hewitt
A trophy shelf on Men's Hill
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Mars Hill College is supposed to be a "dry" campus, yet beer bottles scattered around Myers dorm are not a rare sight. Women from Edna Moore say that people drinking in their building keep them up at night. Students occasionally stumble red-eyed into classes or don't show up at all after a night of partying.
"Drinking on campus devalues what the school stands for," says Senior Johnny Brown. Some contend that it is a shame that at a Baptist College some students seem to be drinking day and night. "It's in the handbook that students should not drink. Students signed the code of conduct. We should follow it. If you want to drink, you should go to a different school," says Brown, who is Residence Director in Gibson Hall.
Drinking on campus is clearly an issue that divides students, and differences over how strictly to enforce college policies raise difficult questions for the whole Mars Hill community.
Mars Hill College policy prohibits the possession, consumption, and selling of alcohol on campus. The possession of empty containers is also prohibited. Offenders come before the Student Judicial Board and are subject to disciplinary action. First offenses result in a fine of $95. After the third offense, suspension is recommended, said Sandra Robertson, director of safety and judicial coordinator.
On a survey of freshmen in the fall of 2004, more than half reported that they had tasted the bottle at one time or another during the previous month.
Freshmen this year weren't surveyed about their alcohol use, but the Judicial Board handled 56 alcohol violations during the fall of 2005, compared to 24 during the fall semester of 2004.
Students have a range of opinions about the situation. Freshman Kim Blythe says the college should change from being a dry campus. Students, she said, will drink whether it is dry or not. She thinks it is better for students to do it on campus, so they don't have to drink and drive.
Freshman Katie Powell points out that even though it is a "dry" campus in the middle of "dry" county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited, students can easily buy alcohol by driving just a few miles away over the county line. She agrees that the college campus should not be "dry."
Sophomore Ashley Lear says, "Alcohol should be permitted in residences if there is a person of age present at the residences." She also thinks that it should not be against the rules to have empty alcoholic bottles on display.
Joseph Fusco, age 21, thinks students of age should be allowed to drink in the privacy of their rooms. "I personally do not drink, but if you're of age, then you should be allowed to drink on campus." North Carolina law prohibits drinking for anyone under the age of 21.
Freshman Guadalupe Carrillo does not drink. "I just don't deal with it," she says.
Morning after
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Sophomore Brieanna Milliken thinks that Mars Hill's being a dry campus makes students want to drink more. It's the whole rebellion against the rules.
Most students interviewed were very open about their drinking habits. Several said that drinking to them is a pastime, like basketball or football. Others said that drinking is just something for them to do when they are bored.
Mark Silva said, "Drinking is fun! It is something to do at night."
Another person said he drinks because it is "cool."
But others do not think it is so cool. A woman from Edna Moore said she can't work or sleep because of all the drinking that goes on around her. "I am trying to sleep, and all I hear is their loudness."
Sophomore Maria Martinez said she does not care about drinking on campus, but she thinks people should be more careful. "If you're going to drink, do it in moderation." She believes that the dry campus policy is a good thing. It's the way the Board of Trustees wants it, so leave it the way it is. People are going to do what they want to do," she said.
The school conducts regular room checks for health and safety, but these are announced in advance. The student inspectors do not aggressively look for alcohol, so some people buy it and store it in their fridge, except on inspection day. Many people said that they purchase their beer at Forks of Ivy just down the highway or drive to Asheville for it if they have to.
"Approaching students that you go to school with as an RA is hard, because most of them see you as friends," says Residence Assistant Kristina Osborn. The question of enforcement falls especially hard on the student Residence Directors and Assistants (RDs and RAs) who live in the dorms and must face the prospect of writing up their peers. They have the freedom to use their own judgment, and some are stricter than others. According to Osborn, most of them do report conspicuous and annoying violations, but few attempt to root out all use of alcohol.
Given that the legal drinking age is 21, Osborn believes it would be easier to enforce the law if students could drink on campus at age 21. "It would not change much for under-age drinkers because there is so much going on," says Osborn.
The statistics show that 17 and 18-year-olds get written up the most, and the numbers go down as students get older. Some drinkers may just move off campus or go where they can drink legally. Others may get smarter about being caught, and others may transfer out or drop out. Some, however, may have learned something from their experience with the Judicial Board.
Reader Comment:
Megan Hofstetter - Freshman, 3/16/2006, 4:10:18 p.m. - My dad sent me this article and I was reading it and I agree that students are going to drink if they want to drink. I think that the school needs to realize the day in age we are in. Most of my friends drink, and they drink off campus so they don't get written up. This puts their safety in the hands of others, and the chances of them drinking and driving goes up. I know plenty of people who have gotten in the car with someone that has been drinking. The board of trustees should make the campus a wet campus. This would cut down on students drinking and driving and cut down on students being in environments where they don't know their surroundings. Being able to drink in the dorms would allow students to be in their own familiar territory, and I believe the number of students being taken avdantage of would also decrease!
Valerie Hobbs - Senior, 3/27/2006, 9:15:06 p.m. - 'Course, the other issue is that Madison is a dry county also. I mean, I agree and all, but that doesn't change that fact.
Cindy Whitt, Student Life, 3/29/2006, 9:41 a.m.
What about the fact that if you are under the age of 21, it is against the law not just school rules?
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