I was both tickled and saddened when I read the news in the Stanford Daily today: Stanford To Ban Alcohol At All-Freshman Dorm Events.
Beginning next year, Stanford’s all-freshman dorms will no longer be allowed to serve alcohol at events in their lounges, hallways or outdoor areas.
Seems reasonable to me, especially since almost all freshmen are way under 21 and therefore are not allowed to drink alcohol. Nonetheless, the move produced controversy: Junior Nic Kanaan, a resident assistant in Otero, said he believes the policy will have unintended negative consequences. “I think this new policy will make a kind of introverted drinking culture that could potentially be more dangerous, because it’s behind closed doors and you can’t see what’s going on…”
Fortunately, the university simply reiterated its logically compelling position: Administrators counter that allowing drinking in freshman dormitories is illegal, detracts from efforts to create a safe and comfortable atmosphere and has failed to prevent serious alcohol-related incidents among freshmen in recent years.
Personally, I can’t believe this is even an issue. It just seems clear to me that the university is obligated to prevent illegal behavior.…