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Op ed: Amherst Administration Approves Plans for Dry Orientation

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Evelyn Kramer
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Amherst chapter.

 

Update: Rumor has it the policy has been revised such that it only applies to student works and athletes at their coach’s discretion.  Yay AAS!   

 

According to discussions on the AAS Facebook page, the Amherst administration just approved plans for a “dry campus” for orientation week 2013.  If put into effect, that mean no one, even students of age, is allowed to drink alcohol on campus during that week.  I don’t think I’m alone in saying that this seems like the wrong approach to the administration’s recent efforts to reign in binge drinking at Amherst.

 

 

Binge drinking is much less of a problem in countries where the drinking age is lower than 18, and having a casual glass of wine or beer is a habitual event.  The American drinking culture has arisen largely out of the fact that alcohol is so taboo in this country.  The more you restrict drinking, the more people will find dangerous and stupid ways to get around your rules and drink in excess anyway.  The way to get a handle on binge drinking is to provide a safe environment where people can drink in moderation.

 

 

Establishing a “dry week” will foster more student anger and dislike toward the administration without eliminating alcohol-related problems.  Students will be forced to drink off campus, where drunk driving and run-ins with the town police will become grave issues.  This policy certainly doesn’t bode will for the rest of the year 2013-2014, which is worrisome considering how hard it has been to enjoy a night out on campus this year.  I think this policy is dangerous because it may discourage applications to our college in future, and it may make it difficult for the current student body to look back fondly on their experience at Amherst when the school is asking for donations.

 

 

I hope that we as a student body can work together to question this policy, and that the administration will understand the importance of listening to us.      

 

*Author’s Note: This is solely my opinion about a policy such as this, should it be put into effect.  The plan has not yet been publically announced. 

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Evelyn is the Editor-in-Chief of the Amherst branch of Her Campus. She was a features intern at Seventeen Magazine during the summer of 2011 and a features intern at Glamour Magazine during the summer of 2013. She is a French and English major in the class of 2014 at Amherst College. She is also on Amherst's varsity squash team. She is an aspiring travel writer/novelist, and loves running, ice cream, and Jane Austen.