Author: Christian Kendall
Any student at Occidental who considers themselves social has probably noticed that Campus Safety has substantially tightened its regulation of off-campus activity, causing a visible shift in weekend get-togethers and events. The recent uptick in students residing off-campus being put on probation may cause some to ask why Occidental students continue to host parties. The current policies in place make it extremely difficult to have social gatherings on campus without getting in trouble, even if students are of legal drinking age. The environment created by on-campus policies pushes students off campus, forcing unwanted partygoers into the homes of off-campus residents, which results in punishment. Ultimately, Occidental enforces problematic policies that encourage all students to dangerously conceal their drinking habits behind closed doors or further away from campus.
In Norris Hall, for example, a 21-year-old can be written up for being in possession of a single alcoholic beverage if they are in a tower in which anyone underage lives, a curious result of the categorization of “common areas” within this particular dorm. However, even students in other dorms have witnessed rooms full of their peers face disciplinary action although only one or two alcoholic beverages were present and multiple students in the room were of age. It is frustrating to be treated like a child and aggravating to see policies enforced as “abstinence only,” instead of being upheld in ways to keep students safe and responsible. Most students, regardless of age, choose to simply take their business elsewhere when they want to consume alcohol.
This trend intensifies during the long periods of time between on-campus events which allow or provide alcohol for those who are of age. Only a few dances or concerts of campus-wide capacity are offered each semester. The offerings become slimmer when excluding student organization and club-sponsored events. Many on-campus facilities, including the library and the Green Bean, close their doors on weekend nights. Students who wish to find distraction, drink or even study must explore off campus. While involvement in the community and exploration of the Los Angeles area are encouraged at Occidental College, the average student’s capacity to drive and spend money simply does not support much of an agenda beyond hangouts and parties at student-owned or rented properties.
Issues of transportation and budget are also reflected in how students enjoy drinks with friends. Many responsible adults choose to drink more frequently than once every other month and appreciate a selection of beverages. However, college students do not have the funds to purchase the astronomically marked-up drinks at restaurants or bars. As drinking is also prohibited at most on-campus residencies and events, many students purchase their own alcohol to drink at their peers’ houses and apartments.
Problems quickly arise when Campus Safety begins openly profiling residences as “party houses” and writing up residents more often and earlier in the night. This really does nothing more than spill drunken students out into the street and push future parties further away from campus. The end result is neither safe nor sober students, but students roaming the streets of Eagle Rock or the neighboring areas and attending parties outside of Campus Safety’s response radius.
Some universities do in fact maintain more strict policies than Occidental. However, for the most part these policies reflect religious institutional affiliations or an explicit mission statement, affirming that its students anticipated and accept its policies. Occidental’s campus policy, however, has largely transformed nightlife over the past decade, essentially forcing students to conform to policies that were not advertised when they applied. The class of 2014 read student reviews about Playboy-ranked parties on Stewie Beach and heard stories from upperclassmen about kegs on top of dorms and facilities. If Occidental is going to so strictly limit drinking and social activities on campus, it needs to make this clear to students before they enroll.
This misalignment between student attitudes and school policy makes an unstructured tour de force attack on off-campus parties ineffective. The combination of Occidental’s dearth of social events and the on-campus living policy burdens off-campus residents with large, anxious crowds. The increased activity of Campus Safety punishes off-campus students after they already have to deal with multitudes of unwanted visitors and end entertainment for their invited guests early.
Many colleges and universities take a less strict approach to drinking, and while no college stands free of alcohol-related incidents, Occidental is in no position to turn away advice regarding alcohol policy and poisonings. For example, at Stanford University, the equivalent of Residential Education enforces an “open door” policy which mandates that students who choose to drink legally leave their doors open to encourage respect of other rules and allow quick response to incidents. Again, the staff, budget and size may be different, but this offers an alternative approach to encourage cooperation and reduce paperwork, as opposed to Occidental’s current regulations which offer only punishments for openness and accountability around drinking.
As a senior of legal drinking age, I am bored with most of the on and off-campus events. A large number of upperclassmen have found the people, drinks and activities that they prefer and do not care to venture far from them. It would be nice if third and fourth-year students could have larger groups of people over and turn the music up every once in a while without receiving citations from campus authorities.
But a much more salient concern is the closed-door and white-knuckled philosophy regarding alcohol and on-campus events which perpetuates a continual exacerbation of the problems that Residential Education and Campus Safety claim to care so much about.
If students cannot drink under the surveillance of ResEd and with the resources of campus, even if they are of age, then they will leave campus. An adversarial approach to drinking and noise-making will only push students who choose to drink to unsafe distances where assistance is not always available.
Christian Kendall is a senior Chemistry major. He can be reached at kendall@oxy.edu or on Twitter @WklyCKendall.
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