In 1999, a woman left a nightclub in Washington D.C., clearly intoxicated, and got into a car accident on the drive home. Charges were brought against the club who served her alcohol and took no steps to prevent her from driving.
In 2007, two parents in Virginia were given jail time because they allowed their teenage daughter to host parties with alcohol in their house.
Last semester, a dry party was hosted for a Wesleyan group and two underage kids went to the hospital due to excessive pre-gaming. The group currently faces charges by the Student Judicial Board.
These three events have a common theme. Whether or not anything tragic happens to partygoers, people hosting these parties need to understand their responsibility. Too often people assume they have no responsibility as a host; that anyone drinking does so with the consequences resting solely on themselves. Even in the last instance, the group had a responsibility to at least warn their members about pre-gaming a dry event.
Personally I believe the responsibility lies with us, the seniors. As we control the houses that host most of the parties on campus (woodframe, fraternity and program), it is up to us to regulate any alcohol served. We cannot feign ignorance or turn a blind eye to the overly intoxicated member of the party, especially if they are underage. Some of us have been drinking since ninth grade, some of us began drinking when we turned 21, some of us do not drink at all, but regardless as the leaders on this campus we need to create a safe environment for underclassmen and each other, and realize that when we throw a party, what happens to any one of our guests is on us.
Beyond our responsibilities as hosts, anyone who is not naïve realizes the role that alcohol has at college, and it is up to us to educate the first years, sophomores, and juniors on drinking responsibly. This is especially important for pre-gaming. I’ve known too many people who have taken multiple shots in their rooms, gone out, and have been carried (if they’re lucky) back to their rooms an hour later, passed out, usually with either vomit or urine (or both) staining their clothes. That is the best-case scenario; on the other hand they could wake up in a hospital with a splitting headache and a $2,000 hospital bill. They could also die.
Seniors, I implore you, take the underclassmen in your groups, your organizations and your residences and teach them a lesson that will save many of their Saturday nights and most of their Sunday mornings. I’m not saying buy a handle and teach them some great ways to get ready for the night. Teach them something they’ll remember.
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