The last ballot has been cast, the votes have been counted, and the new WSA representatives are decided. Those advocating shuttles to bars have won without my vote. I, however, hope to continue the discussion of personal responsibility as it applies to college age alcohol consumers.
My reaction to the shuttle idea as one of fiscal irresponsibility has a second, more important argument that I failed to make very strongly in my previous wespeak.
As many students (if not all) at Wesleyan are now considered legal adults, it is time they, as adults, take responsibility for their actions. This includes responsibility in alcohol consumption.
To consume alcohol in a responsible manner is a lesson Wesleyan community should foster. Students who drink should know that doing so in excess is unhealthy. Cirrhosis of the liver, memory loss, weight gain, among other things, occur when individuals do not take personal responsibility for their own consumption. The lackadaisical statement ah, they’re just students only continues to enable binge drinking. This attitude is very dangerous, as the simple dismissal of what may be the beginning stages of alcoholism prevents students from recognizing a problem before it becomes too large to handle.
In addition to ones personal health issues, one must be responsible for his/her/hir actions while intoxicated. These actions include finding one’s own ride to and from establishments where alcohol consumption happens. Providing a shuttle so students and get extremely inebriated does not help students to recognize the need for personal responsibility in their actions. This act only continues to enable the unhealthy consumption of alcohol, and prevents students from having to think forward. In the real world, there are very few if any free shuttle services available for people who chose to get stumbling drunk. One must take a cab if she/he/ze gets too drunk.
Sure, these people will drive while intoxicated anyway. I doubt that donating my student activity fees to provide transportation will entirely fix that situation. Students are perfectly capable of calling a cab to get back to campus if they chose to consume too much alcohol and in doing so take responsibility for funding their way to and from the bar. Wesleyan also cannot afford to run shuttles with enough frequency to satisfy all students, and therefore some students will chose to drive drunk regardless of the service provided.
In the larger discussion of alcohol consumption by Wesleyan students, should we spend student activity fees to enable binge drinking? Or would our student activity fees be better spent on programs that teach students the dangers of such activities? Perhaps instead of funding a shuttle, WSA should fund programs that teach responsible consumption behavior (like picking a designated driver).
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